The return of a soldier
by Princessatsea
Summary: I just can't stop writing about this Ty returns from Kabul and this story is based on season It will evolve along with the season, but with spins and Rated M for mature Please send me your
1. Inside a soldier's head

_**I have been so committed to this story and in such a rush to get it published, that I am now noticing mistakes, so I am re-editing the chapters. An update will come soon. Thank you for the reviews and suggestions, much appreciated.**_

Ty was waiting for Bay on the small wooden bridge that led to the exit of Maui Kansas. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the sky. There weren't many stars. He thought about the times he used to be on watch through the night in Kabul. How the stars seemed to shine more brightly in that cloudless sky. Why would they shine so brightly in a place of such misery? He closed his eyes briefly and there they were again, the images that haunted him; the dead dog, the dead body, the stuffed animal on the side of the road, the woman in a blue burka being manhandled by the police. He had that so familiar feeling of his chest tightening once again, the feeling of his lungs not being able to breathe in.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his temple. How long would these images haunt him for? What must Justin have seen in that head of his over and over until it killed him? Ty thought about Bay and the evening two days ago when she barged into his room like an Amtrak, full of her apologies and her insecurity. He had felt his heart break in two when she tearfully asked him if he didn't like her anymore. How could she think that? This was the girl he had dated for such a short time two and a half years ago and who had captivated his heart like no other had before.

He was ready to tell her he loved her back then and she didn't let him. He never stopped loving her during those years in Kabul. He remembered her telling him she was with Emmett and his world collapsing around him. How could he blame her? No one knew if they would ever come back alive and he had.

He would be able to fix his head in time, it was minor compared to his buddies who had lost their lives or an arm or a leg. Still, he had planned on being only friends with Bay; he did not want to burden her with his issues.

In the end he had not been able to resist her and he had taken her face in his hands and kissed her.

Oh she tasted so sweet, how he had missed having her in his arms. He never wanted to let go of her again. They had stood there in his room kissing for a long time. After a while they had stopped and just hugged in silence.

Ty had felt tears in his eyes as he held her. He remembered stepping away from her briefly and taking her face in his hands again. He had asked her if she was sure she wanted him, a damaged soldier. She had just smiled at him and nodded. That was all he had needed to know.

Then the phone call with the dreadful news about her father. The happiness that had been stamped on her face for the past half hour suddenly gone as she went white as a sheet. Trembling she had told him about John being taken to hospital, that no one knew the seriousness of his condition. As tears ran down her face he had grabbed her car keys and driven her to the hospital as fast as he could. The last memory he had of her was her face turning to him full of misery as she walked into the hospital doors.

After spending the night tossing and turning he finally got a text from her early in the morning that John had woken up and was stable. She had spent the day at his bedside needing that father-daughter bonding that had been missing for the past weeks.

Ty was jostled from his trip down memory lane by steps approaching rapidly. Bay had spotted him from the distance and was hurrying down the wooden bridge. His little hurricane. She threw herself into his arms and he held her close and inhaled her scent. She smelled of cotton candy and summer nights.


	2. Trip down memory lane

"Hey gorgeous, how's your father"

"He is better, I went to see him at lunch time, they might let him go home tomorrow, but he will have to take it easy for a few weeks"

"Glad to hear that"

Ty held out his hand and Bay squeezed it. She tiptoed, put her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"Are we going to your place to continue what we started?"

Ty smiled "No, we are not"

Bay looked at him with a disappointed look on her face.

Ty grabbed her hand tightly and started to walk in the direction of the car park.

"Tonight we are going on a date and we are taking a trip down memory lane"

They had reached Ty's battered truck and he opened the door for Bay to get in. He got behind the wheel and drove off.

"Where are we going?" Bay asked.

"It's a surprise" Ty winked at her

"What did you do today while I was at Maui?'

"I went to see Regina"

"Regina? Why?"

"Because I wanted to see her and have a chat. You do remember that I was friends with her before you found out she was your mother, right?"

"Yes, of course I do. Did you talk about me?"

"You are being very nosy Bay Kennish Vasquez. But since you asked, yes we did. I wanted to let her know we are dating, I don't want to keep secrets from her."

"Oh, I had already told her at the hospital. She is cool with it."

"Yes, so it seems. We are here"

Bay looked out of the truck's window and saw that they were in front of the taco restaurant in East Riverside where they had gone on their first date. Bay's face lit up. Ty walked around the truck and opened the door for her. He offered his arm and she took it as they walked through the doors.

Ty found the table where they sat two years ago.

Bay sat and smiled at him.

"Ty, this is such a wonderful idea. I had not been here since I came here with you".

"You haven't? You weren't in the mood for authentic cuisine?"

Bay rolled her yes at him.

"Oh stop it"

Ty's eyes became serious and he took her hand.

"I want to make memories with you Bay. This was our first place and it is a good place to start. We will find more as we go along".

Bay smiled at him and squeezed his had "I want that very much too".

Ty stood up and held out his hand. "So, do you think that you can still spot the photo of Regina and Daphne after two years?"

They walked to the board together. Bay looked for the spot where she had seen the photo back then. She found it almost immediately and then gasped as she saw another three photos pinned around it. One of her with Regina, one with Daphne and one with Ty.

"Ty, that's me, that's us. Who did this?"

"Yes it is. I asked Regina for the photos this afternoon and the one of us is mine. Then I came and put them up."

Ty stood behind her and kissed her head "You are a rich white girl from Mission Hills, but your photo belongs here nonetheless."

Bay's eyes welled up "Oh Ty, thank you, this means a lot to me"

They walked back to the table and had their taco diner. Afterwards they walked back to the truck and after they were inside Ty took out a scarf from the glove compartment.

"Now for the second part of our date. It is a surprise so I need to blindfold you"

Bay laughed "Seriously?"

Ty smiled "Seriously."

Bay sat still while Ty put the scarf around her head and tightened it. He checked the front to make sure it completely covered her eyes.

"Look at me Bay"

Bay turned her head towards him and he planted a kiss on her mouth. Bay put her arm around his neck and pulled him towards her. With her eyes blindfolded, her sensors were on high alert and she opened her mouth to let his tongue explore.

"Oh Ty, that feels amazing" she whispered.

Ty groaned "You taste so good"

He started the truck and drove for five minutes before coming to a stop. Bay started pulling at the scarf. Ty held her hands to stop her.

"Not yet, not yet"

Bay groaned impatiently.

"I can see you rolling your eyes at me behind that scarf. Remember that patience is a virtue babe. I am going to step out for one minute. Don't move and don't try to peek."

Bay sat in the truck and heard him close the door, then rummaging through the back of the truck. One minute later he stood at the door and took her hand.

"Ok now, here we go, careful when you step out and hold on to me"

Bay stepped out of the truck and let herself be guided. After a couple of yards Ty stopped and set down the things he was carrying.

He stepped behind Bay and loosened the knot on the scarf. When it came off Bay was looking at a wall.

"Where…? Ty this is the wall where we put up hammer girl"

Ty smiled "It sure is. I came by yesterday evening to see if she was still there, but unfortunately she got covered up or painted over."

Bay smiled "You know what? It is a shame you didn't tell me we were coming here. After you told me the story of the Afghan hammer girl I went home and made a poster. I had not done one in more than a year. I could have brought it."

Ty took her shoulders and spun her round.

"Who says she is not here"

Bay looked at the floor and she saw her poster there, plus the bucket of glue.

"Ty, I can't believe it, where did you get this? Let me guess…Regina"

"Yes. I want to do this with you now. I want her legacy to be left in my neighborhood as well"

His eyes clouded over briefly and Bay felt tears in her eyes. She put her hand on his shoulder and stroked her fingers over the fabric covering his tattoo.

"Then we will. I put a lot of emotion into this poster. I hope that we will do her justice."

They knelt on the floor and started stirring the glue. They worked in silence, as if both knew that this was a moment in which no words needed to be spoken. They unrolled the poster and Ty let out a small gasp. There was hammer girl as he knew her, but this time she was standing with both her arms raised above her head. In one of her hands she held the hammer, in the other one the soccer ball. He eyes held a look of defiance as if she wanted to challenge the world to come and get her.

Ty made a choking sound "Bay, she is beautiful."

Bay placed a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, she is"

They continued working in silence as Bay found a spot on the wall and Ty helped her with the glue. They stood on each side and peeled the paper off. Then they sat on the boulder where they had sat when Bay had told him about the switch story.

They looked at hammer girl silently for ten minutes and held hands. Ty stood up and pulled Bay to her feet.

"Now Ms Kennish Vasquez, what do you think we need to do now?'

Bay did not say a word, just stepped close to him and looked up at him. Ever so gently Ty kissed her. Suddenly they felt a gust of wind. Bay shivered and looked at Ty.

"I don't believe in the super natural, but I think we just set her spirit free"

Ty looked at her and smiled "Thank you Bay".

Bay's eyes misted over as she looked at his face. For the first time since he had been back the haunted look was gone from his eyes. His smile was genuinely happy and carefree.

"Oh Ty, we will get you there in the end"

He knew what she meant as he had felt it as well. A part of the weight he had been carrying on his shoulders was suddenly gone. He looked at the girl he loved.

"Yes sweetheart, I think we will. One small step at a time".

_**I am so much enjoying writing this and thank you for the wonderful reviews and thank you to the Followers. I will write the next chapter this afternoon if I can.!**_


	3. Barbecue at base

Ty woke up to the sound of his alarm clock. He was surprised to hear it. For the past two years he had not needed it as he tossed and turned through the night, often plagued by nightmares. He stretched in his bed and rubbed his eyes. He tried to think about the last time he had slept through the night and he could not remember it.

He sat on the bed and thought about last night. He was officially in love, no question about it. He had not been in love before. Growing up without parents and having been raised by his now deceased aunt he had always put a wall around him, not ever letting his feelings get in the way. He had loved his aunt, but it was not the same as being in love. He had had numerous girlfriends in the past; he enjoyed the whole part of seducing them into his bed. Then after a couple of weeks the novelty wore off and he moved on.

Not Bay though. How had she gotten under his skin like that? His body physically ached with longing to be with her, and not only physically. Just to be with her all the time. Of course he would love to be intimate with her, who wouldn't, she was beautiful. She looked like a porcelain doll and yet so strong. He remembered the look of disappointment on her face when he told her that they would not go back to his place yesterday. But he knew where it would have led to and with all her worries about her father he did not want to go there last night. Instead they had put-up hammer girl and it had helped him so much.

Bless Regina for having come to visit him on base and told him to open up to Bay. He probably would not have had and that would have been it. She must have thought he was a crazy lunatic when she saw that tattoo. Who wouldn't?

He got in the shower and dressed for work. At four his buddies were having a barbecue to which he had invited Bay. It was her first time meeting his friends and he hoped she could cope.

He took out his phone and called Mary Beth. She answered after the third ring. It depressed him to hear her toneless voice since they had cleaned up Justin's room.

"Mary Beth it's me Ty, I'm just checking in on you"

"Hi Ty, nice to hear from you"

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm hanging in there. The nights are the worse. I can't stop thinking about him"

"I know, same here. There's a barbecue today here. Would you like to come and meet some of Justin's buddies?'

"That would be nice Ty, but not at this moment, I can't face it yet. Maybe next time?"

"No problem, I'll come by the Maui this evening. Hang in there buddy."

"Thanks, I will see you later, have fun".

Ty hung-up the phone and checked his messages. There was one from Bay.

Bay: Good morning, did you sleep well? What should I bring this afternoon?

Ty: Good morning to you sunshine, slept like a baby, anything fried and greasy will do

Bay: OK then, fried and greasy it is. Miss you. See you later.

Ty: Miss you too

More than you could ever imagine, Ty thought, as he put down his phone. He finished getting ready and went to work. He got through the day without any incident or traumatizing memory, which was good. At four he went over to the small tent and helped with the preparations for the barbecue.

Not long after he heard Bay's cheerful voice "Bay Kennish reporting for duty".

He turned around "At ease". He started with introducing his friends to Bay.

"Bay these are Peanut, Riggs and Jennings. Guys this is Bay"

Bay silently took note of the three soldiers and saw that Peanut was missing a hand, Riggs a leg and nothing was apparently wrong with Jennings, but who knew.

She flashed a smile "I brought my favorite take-away from Alabama Al's, fried mac 'n' cheese and bacon and cheddar tater tots".

Peanut sat at the table and took a bite "Ummmhm, you are welcome here anytime Bay. Are you the girl that did the hammer girl poster?"

Bay smiled and nodded and grabbed a beer. Ty was at her side in less than a second.

"Bay, no,no,no,no,no, here!" he handed her a plastic cup.

Bay looked into the cup and wrinkled her nose "Lemonade?"

"Yes, lemonade, I met your father, remember?"

Bay was startled as she heard a loud, booming female voice "Snake bite, anyone?"

She turned around and saw a gorgeous girl holding two glass jars of what looked to be a potent concoction. The soldiers cheered as she set them on the table and started pouring it into the cups. "Bay, this is Aida, she is a medic who was stationed with us in Kabul. Aida, this is Bay." Aida glanced at her and passed her a cup. Bay shook her head an pointed at her drink "I am having a mango tango lemonade". Aida shot her a disdainful glance and passed the drinks around to the remainder of the group. She handed a cup to Ty, but he declined "I'll stick with the lemonade, thanks".

Aida looked disgusted "What, you fifteen now as well?"

Bay cringed and Ty did not look pleased "Aida, not now".

They ate and shared stories about Kabul and the base. Bay was fascinated and mostly listened, interjecting once in a while when she couldn't quite follow, earning her nasty glances from the power medic. Very aptly named that one was, Bay thought to herself.

After a couple of hours Ty stood-up "Bay, I need to go see Mary Beth at Maui, do you want to come with me?"

"Of course I do, I didn't see her at work today. We can take my car."

"Ok then, let me go grab my jacket and I will meet you back here"

Bay finished her lemonade and looked at Peanut "Is there a ladies room around here?"

"Sure thing, round the corner and first door on the left".

Bay made her way to the ladies room. When she was about to turn the corner, she heard a heated argument. One of the voices belonged to Ty, the other to Aida. She stopped in her tracks.

"Ty, seriously? What are you now, a babysitter?"

"Aida, stop, you were the most awful person the whole afternoon. Bay didn't do anything to you."

"Didn't do anything to me? How about stealing my lover?"

"Stealing your lover? We have not been lovers for over a year. And even then I would hardly call the three times we slept together as being lovers" Ty said with disdain.

"So now you are banging a 15 year old? Your head is definitely not right, you know! Do you want to get yourself arrested?"

"It's none of your business who I am "banging" or "not banging". And she's going to be 18 in two months, not that it's any of your concern".

"Where did you meet her anyway, picked her up at a local carnival, how freaking classy is that".

"Aida, enough now. If you really need to know, she was my girlfriend before I left."

"She's the one? The one who did the poster? The one who broke up with you over the phone and left you shattered and for me to pick up the pieces?"

"Yes. And now I need to go"

Bay retreated quickly back to the tent. Her heart was pounding. Ty and that medic had slept together. She felt the jealousy in her rising. Stop it Bay, don't be stupid. You had broken up with him. And what about her saying he had been shattered when she broke up with him. Bay wanted to throw-up. Was she partly to blame for him returning with his head all messed–up?

Ty came back wearing his jacket. He hugged her from behind and kissed her on the cheek "Ready to go?"

"Yes"

Bay said goodbye to Ty's friends and walked to her car.

"Are you alright? Did you have fun this afternoon? You're very quiet."

Bay attempted a smile "Yes, I'm fine, I'm a bit tired, guess this whole thing with my Dad took its toll. I had a great time. Thank you for inviting me"

"Are you sure you want to go to see Mary Beth? I can go by myself if you want to rest".

"No, I want to go. Can you drive, please?"

On the drive over Bay closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. She just couldn't face talking right now. They arrived and Ty opened the door for her.

"Are you sure, you're ok? You look white as a sheet"

"I'm fine Ty, really, let's go see Mary Beth"

_Please, please, please review_


	4. The L word

They walked on the bridge that led to Maui and suddenly Bay started crying. All the emotions she had tried to hold inside her for the past half hour started to come out. Ty was horrified.

"Bay, sweetheart, what is happening, are you crying?"

Bay was embarrassed and tried to hide her face behind her hands.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry"

"Sorry for what, Bay, talk to me"

Ty hugged her to him. Bay hid her face in his chest.

"I was going to the ladies room when you went to get your jacket and I overheard your conversation"

"Bay, what are you talking about, what conversation"

"With Aida. I know I should not have been prying and I wanted to walk away but I couldn't"

Understanding dawned on Ty's face. He hugged her to him more tightly.

"Bay, Aida means nothing to me, nothing! Do you understand? You in turn mean everything to me."

"You slept with her and I don't know why this is bothering me so much. I mean, it's not like we were together or anything, but it hurts"

Ty lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes "Bay, I am going to be honest with you because you deserve to know everything. Yes, I did sleep with her. I had a few drinks at the time and it didn't mean anything at all. Things happen when you are stationed away from home. There is so much misery and sometimes one just looks for comfort, as brief as it may be"

"Was it after we spoke on the phone?"

Ty's eyes became guarded.

"Yes, after we spoke and you told me about Emmett. The first time happened that night. I was hurting Bay, although I did not expect you to wait for me."

Bay nodded "And the second time?"

Ty blinked trying to remember.

"Look sweetheart, sometimes we sat around doing nothing. For days and days. It was absolute boredom. I thought about you a lot. Once in a while I pictured you in bed with Emmett and it would hurt. That's when the second and third time happened. It didn't mean anything."

Bay hid her face in his chest again. She mumbled something that Ty could not make any sense of.

"Bay, I can't hear you, what did you say?"

Bay looked at him "I said that Emmett and I never…you know" She was blushing furiously.

Ty sighed and held her close "I didn't know that, you were together for a long time. I assumed…well I doesn't matter anymore, what matters is us. I really don't want to talk about Emmett"

Bay dug her head into his chest again "Ty, I never…I never did it" She felt her face burning.

Now it was Ty's turn to look stunned.

"Hold on Bay. You mean you were a virgin back then when we were at my house?"

Bay looked at him and smiled for the first time "Well…yes, if I am one now…"

Ty took her face in his hands "I was going to be your first?"

Bay looked at his lips, then his eyes "No Ty, you were not going to be my first. You are going to be my first"

Ty kissed her gently "Sweetheart I had no idea. I will not to let you down, I promise"

Bay smiled "I never thought you would let me down, not then, not now. Tomorrow?"

Ty looked at her with a serious expression "Bay I do not want you to feel pressured because of what you overheard today. Whenever you are ready. I will wait forever if I have to"

"I will not. I want to. I wanted it two years ago, I wanted it two days ago. I wanted it yesterday"

Ty kissed her again "Bay…I love you"

Bay looked at him and flashed a radiant smile "The L word. Now is a much better time to say it than two years ago. I love you too. So much"

Ty held her close "I wanted to tell you last night. For the first in a long time I felt almost normal again. And you were the reason for it"

Ty kissed her again

"I love you, I love you, I love you Bay. There I can't stop saying it"

He laughed out loud.

They suddenly heard a gasp behind them and turned around startled.

"Mary Beth" Bay said blushing.

"I'm sorry guys, really sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. I was just walking back to my car and I didn't know you were here."

Ty ran his hand through his hair "Mary Beth I'm so sorry, we came here to see you and well…"

Mary Beth smiled "Yes I see you got distracted. You guys were having quite a moment there. I'm so sorry for having interrupted you."

Bay looked radiant "No need to be sorry. Yes it was a big moment. We were planning on having it two years ago, but then the army got in the way"

Mary Beth looked stunned "You dated before? I had no idea"

"Mary Beth, Bay was my girlfriend when I left. She's the one who did the poster"

"Really, wow Bay that is amazing, I didn't know. Justin loved that poster, he sent me a picture of it once."

Bay smiled "Thank you. You look good today"

Mary Beth smiled again and reached for her neck "Someone found these today and brought them to me" She pulled out the dog tags. "I am so happy to have them back".

"That's great Mary Beth" Ty said "I'm happy for you"

He hugged her.

"Bay, I wish that one day I can see one of those posters. Do you still make them?"

Bay and Ty looked at one another.

Ty smiled at Mary Beth "She does. Fancy a little tour with us?"

Mary Beth smiled and nodded.

Ty stood in the middle of the two girls and held out his arms. Each of them took one and they walked to the car.

Ty drove to East Riverside and parked the car in front of the wall they had been at the day before.

"Mary Beth, may I present to you Bay's Afghan hammer girl"

Mary Beth looked at the poster and gasped.

"Bay, she is beautiful, when did you do this? That is the girl from Justin's story"

"Yes she is. We put her up yesterday as a symbol for all the suppressed girls in that part of the world" Ty put his arm around Mary Beth's shoulders.

Mary Beth looked at him "This helped you didn't it? You look different. You know what startled me back at Maui? It wasn't that you told Bay you loved her. It was you laughing. I realized that until now I had never heard you laugh."

Ty squeezed her shoulder "She did help me Mary Beth. I am far from being fixed, but it is a small step in the right direction".

Mary Beth smiled at Bay "I wish Justin would have had someone like you."

_**Here it is. Chapter 4. Did you enjoy it? I got a review yesterday with the suggestion to use more contractions and I went back and edited the other chapters to include them. English is not my first language, so any suggestions are welcome.**_

_**Who wants more chapters?**_


	5. A mother or a friend?

Bay got home and had diner with Regina. Angelo had picked-up another trail near Washington and was gone for the week.

She was quiet through the meal and afterwards sat on the couch with Regina and stared blankly at the TV.

Regina had been quietly observing Bay for most of the evening and finally decided to confront her.

"Bay, you are very quiet. Is everything ok? Is it Ty? Are you two ok?"

Bay looked at Regina. She needed a friend right now and she didn't have one. Daphne and her were on better terms, but still not confidants. Mary Beth could be her friend in time, but there was too much going on in her head right now. She needed to confide in someone and right now she felt closest to her biological mother.

"Regina, I feel lonely. I don't have any friends I can confide in. There is so much going on in my head and no one to dump it on."

"Bay, do you want to confide in me? I know it has not been easy between us, but I can listen and give advice"

"Will you promise not to judge me? Will you promise not to treat me as a daughter?"

"I will try my best" she ran her hand through Bay's hair "Shoot"

"There is so much going on, I don't even know where to start. You know the poster you gave Ty yesterday? We put it up on the wall behind your old house yesterday."

Regina took a deep breath.

"You went tagging? Bay that is dangerous. You can get arrested and Ty can lose his job."

"I know Regina, you promised not to judge. I will not do it again. Ty needed that poster to be there and he is another person now. Like some of the weight he was carrying on his shoulder has been lifted."

Regina sighed "I am glad to hear that. But please Bay, no more. You have an amazing talent, but you need to restrict it to your studio. Promise ?"

Bay smiled at Regina "I promise. You are doing good so far. Want the rest?"

Regina smiled "Go on"

"Do you remember the day before Ty left, when we sat on the stairs before I went to see him?"

Regina nodded. She had been expecting this part of the conversation.

"I was going to sleep with him that night. But what you told me then stuck in my head and I didn't. I always thought I had made a good choice".

Bay took a deep breath "Regina, I am going to sleep with Ty tomorrow".

Regina took Bay's hand in hers.

"Are you sure that is what you want to do Bay?"

"I am sure"

"You know I never wanted to pry into your sex life Bay, but have you and Emmett ever…?'

Bay shook her head. "No, we came close once and were interrupted by his mother"

"So Ty is going to be your first?"

"Yes"

Regina took a deep breath. One part of her wanted to ground her for the rest of her life. The other part was telling her that her daughter needed a friend now, and not a lecture. She closed her eyes and told herself that she had been younger than Bay when she lost her virginity and it had not been to a guy as decent as Ty.

"Bay, I don't want to berate you. And trust me, this conversation is also not the easiest one for me to have. A part of me wants to protect you and keep you as my little girl forever. But if you made your decision, then you will go ahead with it anyway".

"Thank you"

"Ty is not forcing you into this right? Because this should happen if and when you want it to happen. He should not put you under any pressure."

Bay smiled "On the contrary I believe, he says he is willing to wait forever. It is more like I am forcing him"

Regina laughed "I doubt that he will see it as a hardship. Does he know? Have you told him?'

"Yes, I told him today. He was very surprised. He also thought that Emmett and me had done it. Ty and I came very close to doing it after that horrible party two years ago. But he lied to me and said he had no protection, because he was leaving and had not told me about it yet"

Regina smiled "He is a good guy. But something is bothering you. You don't trust him?"

"Oh no Regina I trust him and I want him. It's just that…" and she told Regina the whole story about Aida.

"You should have seen her Regina, she looked like a model, she is so beautiful, so sexy. And she is a medic. She looked so worldly and I just feel like I will never be able measure up to her. My legs are short, my thighs are fat. What if he is disappointed in me?"

Regina squeezed Bay's hand very hard "Bay, don't say such things. You are beautiful and certainly not fat or short. Ty is head over heels in love with you. There is nothing you could do to disappoint him. He told you that girl means nothing to him. There is nothing to worry about."

Bay smiled at Regina "I wish I had turned my back when I heard her. She is haunting me now. I know nothing about these things, I feel so inexperienced"

"Bay, everyone has a first time and Ty has experience, let him guide you. You will see that in his eyes there is nothing you can ever do wrong."

Bay looked at Regina "Will it hurt?"

"Yes Bay, it will. I don't want to lie to you. But it is only once and there is nothing you can do about it. I know that Ty will treat you with kid gloves and it depends a lot on how gentle the man is. I am sure that Ty will be as gentle as he can".

Bay stood and hugged Regina. "Thank you Regina. For being a friend and not giving me the whole you should wait and use protection talk. I really, really appreciate this. I feel much better now".

"Oh baby, in my heart I want to say all those things, but you are almost an adult. But you will use protection, promise me that"

"Of course we will"

After Bay had gone to bed, Regina sat on the couch for a long time. She longed for a drink. She could not believe that Bay had confided in her like that and she felt they had reached a milestone. Was she happy about the developments? Absolutely not. But there was nothing she could do about it. She knew that Ty would let no harm come to Bay. What made her happy was that at least she was able to somewhat squash Bay's insecurities towards that army medic. She longed to see how Bay would feel like tomorrow.


	6. Bay is beautiful

Ty was tossing and turning in his bed. He thought about the day and about Bay. Most of his thoughts these days revolved around Bay.

She was a virgin. He still couldn't believe it. He remembered the day he had taken her to his house and how they had made out on the floor. She had seemed so confident and every time he had tried to slow things down she had pushed him further along.

And today she told him she's still a virgin. Ty counted his blessings that he had not slept with her there and then. He still didn't know what had made him say that he had no protection when the condom had been right there in his pocket. He imagined having had taken her virginity and telling her the next day that he had to leave.

Ty's heart skipped a beat. There was no point thinking about it now. For once he had done the right thing.

He thought about the nights in Kabul and how the haunting images of Bay and Emmett in bed had come to him night after night. He had imagined them in different positions, kissing and making love over and over again. He'd wished that he'd never met Emmett, not wanting his image to haunt him.

It would've been much easier if it had been an anonymous face. It had ultimately driven him into Aida's bed for some emotionless sex. It had always been a mechanical act with her, he couldn't even remember it very well by now. And today she'd called him her lover. Ty could not have been more stunned and angry.

With his luck, Bay happened to overhear. How could he have been so stupid. He took a deep breath as he thought about Bay's tears, how heartbreaking it had been for him to be the cause of them.

And all for nothing. For her to tell him today that nothing happened with Emmett; that actually nothing ever happened at all with anyone. A virgin, Ty thought again. He had never slept with a girl on her first time. Those were not normally the girls who ended up in his bed.

He felt slightly nervous about the whole act. What if he hurt her too much, he could not face hurting her. But he would have to; it was all a part of it in the end. He swore to himself to get her as ready as she could ever be, so that when the time came the pain would be minimized. He would be as gentle as possible and stop at any sign of her discomfort.

God, he was hard. Great Ty, I hope you're not going to make a fool of yourself tomorrow. He tossed and turned again looking to go to sleep. He finally did and was not haunted by nightmares for a second night in a row.

Bay was sitting at the breakfast table in the morning and Regina joined her a short while later.

"Good morning Bay. How did you sleep?"

"Good morning Regina. I slept so well. Thank you for being there for me last night. It helped a lot."

"Oh honey, anytime you need me I'll be there for you. I hope you know that. Any second thoughts about tonight? As your mother, I'm hoping there will be."

Bay smiled "Sorry, no."

Regina took a deep breath "Well then, I hope everything works out. What time are you working today?"

"I'm off actually. Mack just sent me a text that he is predicting things to be slow, so he doesn't need me today."

Regina looked at Bay and thought about her insecurities last night. She had an idea.

"Bay, how about I treat us to a spa day? We can get pampered for a couple of hours and afterwards I'll do your hair and make-up."

Bay's eyes lit up "That would be lovely. Are you sure you can afford that? I've never been to a spa."

Regina smiled "I have my connections, it won't cost me that much, don't you worry."

An hour later they were on their way to East Riverside. They arrived at a spa that belonged to one of Regina's friends.

"Bay, this is Paloma. Paloma this is my daughter Bay."

Paloma's eyes lit up "Bay, what a pleasure to finally meet you. What can we do for you today?"

Bay smiled "I really don't know. I've never been to a spa before."

"Paloma, Bay has big plans for tonight and needs to look fabulous. Any ideas?"

"Oh yes Regina. We'll start her off with a manicure and pedicure, then a facial, followed by a massage and a scrub and topped off with a bath in my secret ingredients."

Bay's eyes looked like saucers "Wow, the sounds amazing. Thank you."

Regina and Bay were separated and taken in different directions and met-up a couple of hours later.

Regina smiled when she saw Bay "Sweetheart, you're glowing. Wow!"

Bay looked so happy "Oh Regina, thank you, thank you, thank you. I feel like a million dollars. I can't wait to see Ty."

Regina cringed inwardly. What would Kathryn and John say if they knew about this. She was basically instigating her daughter to loose her virginity. Oh well, she was going to anyways, so she might as well look her best for it.

They drove home and Regina sent Bay to her bedroom to start working on her hair. When she was finished she did Bay's make-up. She brought a mirror and handed it to Bay. When she saw Regina's handiwork she gasped.

"Regina, is that me? I look beautiful."

"Bay, you are beautiful, I just placed a couple of accents here and there."

Bay looked at her watch.

"I have to go. I am supposed to meet Ty at the Maui in 30 minutes. I haven't told him that I'm not working. What should I wear?"

"Something simple Bay, you don't want to overdo it."

Bay chose a green t-shirt and some ripped jeans. She topped it off with some sandals.

When she was almost out the door, Regina called her.

"Bay, please take this just in case."

She held out two condoms.

Bay blushed a million colors of red "Regina, I'm sure Ty has…"

"Yes Bay, I'm sure he has too. But better be safe than sorry."

Bay hugged Regina tightly "Thank you again. You don't know what this day has meant to me. I'll be fine. I promise."

Regina wiped a tear from her eye "I know you will be sweetheart. Just remember that sex is supposed to be fun. If it isn't then something's wrong."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'll be home around 10, will you be here then?"

"Of course I will."

Bay stepped out and closed the door behind her. Regina sat on the couch and spent a long time staring at the door.

_**Thanks again for all your support so far. I will keep updating. Please review and let me know your thoughts and ideas.**_


	7. First base at base

Ty met Bay at the wooden bridge, the place where they had shared such a romantic moment yesterday. Her face lit-up when she saw him standing there and she jumped into his arms. He gasped when he saw her.

"Baby, you look amazing"

She spun around and Ty whistled appreciatively.

"Regina treated me to a spa day today. Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? Are you kidding me? You look fantastic and you smell so nice, what is that?"

"It is coconut, lemongrass and jasmine, I kinda had a bath in it"

Ty nuzzled her neck and gave her a playful bite "I could devour you here and now"

Bay shrieked and gave him a gentle nudge.

"I want you to devour me, but not here and now. It might get me fired."

Ty groaned then looked at her again.

"Wait a minute, how long was that spa thing?"

Bay looked thoughtful "Well let me see, we got there at 11 and got out at 3, so 4 hours of pure bliss."

"So you didn't go to work?"

"No, Mac called me in the morning said the day was slow so Regina took me out. I took her offer gladly in preparation for tonight." Bay batted her eyes at Ty.

"Bay, I would have you if you had just climbed out of a pigsty, but seeing you like this I am glad you didn't change your mind. If you do it will kill me."

Bay laughed "Well then soldier, let's get to base. First, second and third preferably."

Ty put her arm around her waist "Oh yes!"

They got into Bay's car and Ty drove as quickly as possible.

Once they were inside his room Ty locked the door and turned towards Bay. He hugged and lifted her and Bay locked her legs around his waist.

Ty leaned Bay against the wall and kissed her passionately. Bay grabbed his hair and moaned. This was different than the kisses they had shared so far. This was raw passion.

"Oh Ty, oh yes!" she groaned into his ear.

"Bay you are so sexy, I want you so bad" he groaned.

Bay thought briefly about her worries the day before and how Regina had been right. At this moment Ty was definitely not thinking of anyone but her. She paused in her kiss.

"Ty, I'm loving this but my legs are starting to kill me."

He groaned and continued to kiss her, but turned around and carried her to the bed. He sat on it and let Bay sit astride him. Bay tugged at his shirt and he took it off. Bay's eyes opened in wonder when she saw him. He smiled acknowledging her admiration and ran his hands up and down her sides.

Bay stroked his chest tentatively "Ty, you feel amazing. I mean, you looked great two years ago, but what did the army do to you?"

Ty smiled "They work us hard here, I'm glad you like it."

He continued kissing her and slowly put his hands under her shirt. He stroked her belly and, hearing no objection, he grazed his fingers over her breasts. Bay moaned.

Wanting more she pushed herself forward on his lap and suddenly found herself sitting right on top of his erection. She was startled for a second "Oh boy, that's a first." Ty pulled her closer to him "That Bay, is how much I want you. There'll be lot of firsts today. If you feel uncomfortable let me know and we will slow it down".

_**Ok, ok, so I couldn't resist and I posted this short teaser. I will probably have to re-write all of it after the episode tonight. Reviews much appreciated as always!**_


	8. Second and third

_**WARNING: Very mature M rated content in the next two chapters. If it offends you please don't read.**_

In response Bay took off her shirt. Ty gasped when he saw the black lacy bra. He hugged her to him and now they were skin on skin. He ran his lips down her neckline.

"I don't know what they did to you, but your skin feels so soft. You're driving me insane" he whispered in her ear. He put his hands on her breasts and slowly circled her nipples over the fabric. Bay gasped "Ty, that feels so good, please don't stop."

He didn't and after a little while he placed his hands on the clasp of her bra "Are you ready for this sexy thing to come off?" Bay nodded and Ty removed garment slowly. He groaned when he saw her breasts springing free "Oh baby, these are beautiful." He stroked them reverently and kissed her. Bay was going crazy. She had never been touched like this before. It felt unbelievable. She stroked Ty's hair and inadvertently pulled his head towards her breasts.

Ty lay on the bed and turned sideways. Now he had Bay lying next to him and he started kissing her breasts. He moved his mouth over her left nipple and slowly circled it with his tongue. Then he did the same with the right nipple. He shifted his leg to the middle of her legs and pushed it against her center. Bay gasped and rubbed herself against him. The friction created between their jeans was driving her insane.

Bay was writhing beneath him "Ty, that feels amazing. I want more."

He chuckled "Do you now? Well let's see what I can do about that."

He kissed her on her stomach and on her bellybutton. When he reached the button of her jeans, he slowly opened it, then lifted himself to take off her sandals. He took her foot in his hand.

"You painted your toenails pink."

"Yes, they did that today, do you like them?"

"I love your pink toenails" He kissed every one of her toes.

He slowly pulled off her jeans. He held his breath when he saw her lying there, dressed now only in her black lacy panties with her hair fawned out over the pillow. He lay on top of her and slowly pressed into her.

"Bay, you are so beautiful. I have no words."

"Thank you. I am loving this."

He moved to the side and lay next to her again. Slowly he let his hand wander to her panties and he stroked her over the fabric.

"You are so wet baby. You can't begin to imagine how much you turn me on."

Bay moaned "I don't know what's happening to me, I have never had this before."

"Shhhh, just relax and enjoy."

Ty circled his fingers over her soaking panties and Bay gasped. He inserted his fingers beneath the fabric and searched for her clit. Very slowly he started stroking it. Bay was moaning.

Ty tugged at her panties and she lifted herself so that he could pull them off. He continued circling her clit and after some time he inserted one finger into her. Bay tensed.

"Another first?"

Bay nodded.

"It's ok. I won't hurt you."

He felt her body relaxing and he started to move his finger in and out of her. She felt incredibly tight. He slowly inserted another finger, then a third and proceeded to spread her juices to get her body accustomed to the intrusion. Bay did not look to be in pain, so he started circling her clit with his thumb.

Suddenly he felt a change in Bay as she moaned loudly and he felt her body contracting around his fingers. After a minute she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Oh Ty, what was that. It felt amazing. Is that what they call an orgasm?"

"That is exactly what it was. How was it?"

"It was out of this world, can I have more?" Bay winked at him.

Ty smiled and kissed her longingly "I promise you many, many more."

He lay next to her and let her recover for a minute. Bay rested her head on his arm and ran her finger up and down his chest. She looked around the room for the first time that evening.

"Ty, you covered the lights, I hadn't even noticed. How romantic. And there are candles."

"Yes, I meant to light those before we started, but then I got distracted by a sexy lady." He winked at her and Bay blushed "I must have gotten distracted by a sexy man, because I didn't see them until now."

Ty ran his hand over her body "You wouldn't believe the amount of nights I spent imagining your naked body next to me. And no amount of imagination measured up to how beautiful it actually is."

Bay smiled "There's definitely only one naked body here. Ty, do you realize you didn't even take your off your shoes yet?"

Ty looked at his feet "No, I hadn't noticed. Let me rectify that straight away."

Ty got up and went to get a lighter from his desk "First things first"

He lit the six candles that were placed around the bed.

He kicked off his shoes and prepared to get back on the bed. Bay stopped him.

"No,no,no. I want to see you. Every bit of you."

Ty smiled and opened his jeans. He let them drop to the floor together with his boxer shorts. He stood next to her in all his glory.

Bay gasped and sat-up in the bed "Ty, it's huge. It'll never fit."

Ty sat and stroked her cheek "It will baby, don't worry. We will take it very slow. It might be a bit uncomfortable for the first few minutes, but your body will adjust."

Bay looked a bit dubious "Can I touch it?"

"Of course, I would love that."

Ty stretched out on the bed and Bay tentatively took it in her hands. It felt hard and soft at the same time. She stroked it and felt it twitch.

Ty put her hand on top of hers "Here let me show you how to do it".

He guided Bay's hand up and down his shaft until she got he hang of it.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her hands on him.

Bay was concentrating on the task at hand and she looked at his face. He had a look of pure bliss.

She started to increase her speed and Ty moaned. Bay felt a rush of power. She continued stroking him and suddenly felt it grow even bigger. Ty groaned loudly and bucked. Bay felt a stickiness all over her hand. She looked at it with a stunned expression.

"Ty, what just happened?"

Ty opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"What happened is that I came undone like a fourteen year old. See what you do to me? Let me go get a towel."

Bay looked at him proudly "So you liked that?"

"Liked that? Baby, I loved that. This hasn't happened to me in a long time."

He came back with a towel and cleaned her hands before using it on himself.

Bay looked at him "It's small now, how interesting. Is it over now? I'd be sorry if it was, because I was really enjoying myself and I never thought it would be like this. I mean, I had talked about it at school with the girls and stuff, but I was never really part of that group and I always felt like an outsider. And I definitely didn't know if I would ever see you again and now you are here and we are here and we actually doing this, and…. "

Ty kissed her "Bay…stop talking…"

Bay smiled "Ok"

He ran his hands across her breasts and tenderly kneaded them "It's certainly not over now. We've hardly begun."

"Oh Ty, I feel like I know nothing."

"Sweetheart, this is the best time I've ever had in my life. You're the most beautiful and sexy woman I've ever seen."

He ran his hands along her entire body.

"Your body is like a blank canvas for me to paint on" He brushed his fingertips along her belly "And I want to color all of it."

_**Reviews appreciated as always and thank you for all your support so far. Am almost finished with the next chapter. Do you want it?**_


	9. Home run

_**WARNING: Very mature M rated content in the next two chapters. If it offends you please don't read**_

He found her innocence so endearing. This was a completely new territory for him. He thought of what lay ahead and his eyes clouded over briefly. She had felt so tight earlier, it wasn't going to be easy for her and he hated to be the cause of her pain. He hoped the pain would be brief and that she would learn to enjoy it in the end.

He felt himself grow hard again. He still couldn't believe how quickly he had cum all over her hands. That was a first for him as well. It had been good in a way as now he could continue at a slower pace as she had almost sent him over the edge earlier.

Bay looked at Ty "Do you have anything? If no, I do"

"Ummmm let me see, I didn't see anything taped to the bottom of your shoe." He nuzzled her neck "I definitely didn't see anything hidden in your cleavage. I think I would've noticed that."

Bay laughed "You remember that. That is so sweet."

"I've told you before that I'm a good listener."

"I've got them in my pocket" Bay blushed.

"It's ok. I have something. I was just teasing you"

He got up and walked to his desk. He opened the drawer and took out a string of 10 condoms.

Bay's looked at him stunned "Wow, are you expecting a long night?"

"The army gives this out to everyone" He reassured her.

He ripped one off and returned to the bed.

Bay took his hand "Is this it? Are we doing it now?"

Ty stroked her cheek "No. Not just yet"

Ty laid on top of her and kissed her gently. Bay relaxed and melted into his arms. After a while he proceeded with kissing her neck and moved on to her breasts. He circled her left nipple with his tongue, while caressing her right nipple with his fingers. The he proceeded to kiss her right nipple.

Bay was moaning. He slowly moved down, kissing her stomach and circling her bellybutton with his tongue. He took his time now that they had both had had their release. He wanted to make sure she was fully ready for the next big step. He moved further down and placed his head between her legs. Bay tried to jump, but anticipating her move, he pinned her legs down.

"Ty, oh my God, what are you doing. You can't do that. Not there"

Ty looked up at her with a wicked smile "I can and I will. Not that you'll be able to get away from me anyway."

He ran his tongue over her folds. Bay was still trying to escape, but he held her firmly in place.

"Ty, oh no, this is just wrong"

"Mmmmh I taste coconut" He ran his tongue slowly around her folds twice more "And jasmine…and lemongrass" He found her clit and started circling it slowly "And I can taste you….you taste delectable."

Bay felt herself blush. She had given up the fight and was now concentrating on Ty's expert tongue. She had never felt like this before. It was the most amazing feeling ever. She bucked and writhed on the bed and groaned loudly. Ty upped the stakes and moved his tongue around her faster. He felt her contracting and heard her moan.

"Ohhhh Ty, ohhhh"

He could feel her powerful orgasm as she tried to raise herself once more. He sucked her clit and let her ride it out. Then he moved up and looked at her dazed expression. He kissed her. Bay could taste herself in this mouth and she found it strangely arousing.

She gasped "Ty, that was…that was out of this world. I still think it is so wrong."

He stroked her cheek "Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, too much"

"I did too. Then it isn't wrong. Nothing that we do together and both enjoy is wrong. Ever!"

Bay ran her hands up and down his back.

"Please make love to me now. I'm ready."

"Yes Bay, I think you are. You sure about this?"

She pulled his head towards her and kissed him passionately "I'm totally sure."

He reached for the night stand to get the condom. He knelt on the bed and ripped the packet open, then slid it over his member.

He moved between her legs. Bay looked to the side and closed her eyes firmly. Her body tensed ready for the pain.

Ty placed a finger on her chin and turned her head towards him.

"No, no, no Bay. Look at me."

Bay opened her eyes.

"Please don't be scared. We'll do this together. Don't turn away from me. I'll go very slow."

He kissed her and rubbed his erection between her folds.

Bay moaned and he felt her body relaxing.

Slowly he inserted himself an inch into her. She was so wet that he slid in easily. He stopped when he felt her tensing up around him.

"Does it hurt"

"No…well maybe a bit"

Ty stopped and Bay tried to relax her body.

He moved out of her and very slowly in again. When she didn't complain, he repeated his movements twice more.

"You ok?"

"Yes, it's better now"

He inserted himself into her again, this time a little bit deeper. He felt her tense again, and stopped. When he felt her body relax he repeated his movement three more times. He was trying to expand her and get her body used to his intrusion bit by bit.

When he could see it in her eyes that he wasn't hurting her anymore, he inserted himself until he could feel her barrier.

"Bay, are you ok so far?"

Bay nodded "It's going to happen now, isn't it?"

Ty nodded and kissed her passionately. He pushed into her and broke through the barrier.

Bay gasped and dug her fingers into his back. She could feel tears stinging her eyes.

"Owwwie Ty, that hurts."

"I know baby, I know. I'm so sorry. I never wanted for you to hurt like this."

He lay completely still and kissed away her tears.

Bay clung to him. She felt like she was burning up inside from the sting. She concentrated on her body and after a little while the sting was fading. She felt very full and like she was being stretched in a strange place. She tried to move her hips a bit and it didn't make it any worse.

"Ty, I'm feeling better, I think you can move a bit."

Ty moved in and out of her, still keeping his moves very slow and shallow. He felt her relax and moved deeper into her.

Bay winced. Ty stopped again.

"Too much?"

"Yes…no, wait, it's getting better, you can move."

Ty moved again very slowly and saw that Bay didn't complain. She tentatively moved her hips again and Ty groaned. There was only so long he could last. She felt so tight and warm around him.

Bay kissed him "I think I'm starting to like this."

That was the last straw for him. He pushed into her and moaned, then emptied himself inside her.

He came off his high and looked at Bay. She couldn't look more adorable as she lay there sweating from their recent activity.

He kissed her gently "I'm so sorry I had to hurt you like that. It'll be better next time I promise"

Bay smiled at him "It wasn't that bad after that initial sting. I was really starting to enjoy it."

Ty kissed her again "I love you so much."

"I love you too."

_**This was difficult to write and it took me a while. Hope I did them justice. Please review**_.


	10. A soldier's nightmare

Ty raised himself and lay next to her. He removed the condom. Bay saw that it had blood on it. She raised her hand to her mouth.

"Ty, is that from me?"

He nodded and she raised herself and looked at the bed. Sure enough, there were a few spots where she had laid a few minutes ago.

"Oh no, look at this, I'm so sorry!"

"Bay, don't be sorry. It's not like we didn't expect this. It's normal for this to happen on your first time. The only think I'm sorry about is that I had to hurt you."

Bay rested her head on his arm and stroked his chest "Ty, I loved every minute of it. I'm so happy you were my first. You were so gentle. I love you."

That brought tears to his eyes. He kissed her head "You can't even begin to imagine how relieved and happy I am to hear that."

She lay on her stomach and rested her head on his chest. She looked at him and loved to see the relaxed look on his face.

"You look happy. I haven't seen you look happy very often since you got back."

"I know Bay, I'm sorry I've been such a burden on you. You're the only one who can make me forget. When I'm with you I'm happy."

"Shhh Ty, don't ever say that you're a burden. I've missed you so much. When you left I was devastated. I'm so happy that you're back in one piece and that we're here and together."

"So am I baby, so am I" He stroked her hair "So how does it feel not being a virgin anymore?"

Bay stretched her body "It feels good, except that I'm a bit sore down there."

Ty ran his hand across her bottom "I can imagine. We'll have to take it easy for a couple of days until we try again."

"I need to go home, I told Regina I would be home by 10."

Ty took her hand in his "Bay, please stay and spend the night here. It would mean a lot to me."

"Ty, are you sure that's ok? I mean, is it even allowed? I don't want to get you into trouble"

"It'll be ok, I promise."

Bay wrapped herself in the sheet and got out of bed. She looked for her jeans on the pile of clothes on the floor and found her phone. She called Regina, who answered on the first ring.

"Bay, are you ok? Do you need me to come and get you?"

"Regina, I am fine, in fact I'm more than fine. I feel wonderful"

Bay could feel Regina cringe on the other side.

"That's good to hear Bay. Are you on your way home?"

"I'm actually calling about that…Regina is it ok if I stay here tonight?"

Bay heard a long pause.

"Bay, are you sure that it's even allowed? I'm not sure about this."

"Yes Regina, Ty said it's ok and it would mean a lot to me, to us"

She heard a noise and turned around. Ty had just dropped his phone and was looking at her with his mouth open.

"Ok then Bay. Stay there tonight and be safe. We'll keep this between us. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you Regina. Thank you, thank you."

She ended the call and jumped back in bed.

"I can stay."

Ty had an incredulous look on his face.

"You told her you were staying with me? She knows about this?"

Bay blushed "I told her. I was a bit nervous and I needed someone to talk to."

"Wow. Isn't that the type of conversation you have with your girlfriends, I don't know, Simone or someone like that?"

Bay cringed inwardly "Simone and I aren't friends anymore. Daphne and I aren't friends at the moment. I don't have any friends."

Ty hugged her "Oh Bay, I'm sorry to hear that. And Regina is fine with this?"

"I don't think she is that fine with it. But she understands and is trying to be supportive, although I can feel that it's hard for her."

"Gosh Bay, that should make for some interesting conversation the next time I see her. I think I won't even be able to look her in the eyes."

Bay grinned "She gave me the condoms too, just to make you feel better."

Ty groaned and placed a pillow over his head.

Bay laughed "Consider yourself lucky I didn't go to my dad for advice."

Ty shuddered "Putting it like that, I guess I'm the luckiest man in the world."

"At least you could tell me how happy you are that I'm staying."

Ty hugged her "I'm over the moon that you're staying."

Bay lay on top of him and kissed him "So what happens next soldier, are you going to ravage me again?"

Ty ran his hands up and down her naked body and felt himself getting hard again "What happens now is that we go to sleep. There was enough ravaging already considering you never did this before."

Bay tried to look disappointed, but at this point she just looked exhausted. Ty moved her off him and turned her around so that he could spoon her. He turned off the light.

"Go to sleep now. We both need to work in the morning."

Bay felt her eyes dropping as she snuggled into him on the narrow bed. She briefly thought about the past hour and it brought a smile to her face. Then she fell into a deep sleep.

Ty held her in his arms and stroked her chest. What a night they had had. He had never felt so close to anyone when they became one. She looked happy, he had been so worried about everything, but there she was and all ready to do it again. He swore to restrain himself for the next couple of days and let her heal before they attempted anything else again. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

_He was walking along the streets of Kabul. It was dark and there was no light. He could only see about three feet ahead of him with the small flashlight he was carrying._

_He had no idea where he was going or where this road was heading. He just mechanically put one foot in front of the other and kept walking._

_The scenery did not change, the road had no turns. It looked like a bottomless pit into nowhere. _

_He kept going and going for hours on end. His feet were aching, his eyes were burning from the strain of looking at the little light that was generated by the flashlight._

_Suddenly he stumbled and fell to the ground. He lifted himself and searched for the obstacle. _

_Then he saw it. It was a body. It was a woman. She was lying sideways with her back to him. He stepped closer. She was holding something in her hands. It was a football. It had been slashed in half, but she had died holding it tightly._

_He turned her around and saw her battered face: It was Bay._

Ty gasped and rose in the bed. He couldn't get any air. His lungs were shut. He had lost her. She was gone, forever. He coughed and tried to breathe in. He was drenched in sweat. Suddenly he felt two hands around his stomach. He flinched and grasped them forcefully.

"Shhhh, Ty, its ok, its ok, you had a nightmare".

The voice, it sounded like Bay, was it really her? It couldn't be, she was dead on an anonymous street in Kabul. He slowly turned around. It was her. He blinked trying to get back into reality. He hugged her to him.

"Bay" he breathed "You're alive"

"Yes, I'm here, don't worry, it was nothing but a nightmare."

Bay kissed him and he returned the kiss forcefully. He hugged her to him and now it was her who had trouble breathing.

"Ty, please, not so hard" she gasped.

He shook his head and loosened his grip on her.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were dead"

"I'm very much alive and here, come on let's lie down."

They lay on back on the bed. Ty ran his hands up and down her body while kissing her. Bay moaned. She felt his urgent need for her, and she found it arousing. No one had ever needed her like this. Had she really been that selfish all her life? Had no one ever needed her before?

"Bay I can't get enough of you."

"I know Ty, I know."

"I can't get close enough to you."

"Yes you can. Make love to me"

Ty turned her around and stretched out on top of her. He was about to enter her, then he stopped.

"No Bay, we can't. I can't bear the thought of hurting you again. It's too soon."

"Ty, I'm fine, you need me and I need you. I'll let you know if you're hurting me."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

Ty stood up and Bay looked at him with a disappointed look on her face.

"Where're you going?"

"To get protection."

Bay couldn't believe she had forgotten about the condom. How could this have happened to her. Thank God Ty had remembered

He sat on the bed and slid the condom on. He turned towards her, his eyes still holding a silent question. She pulled him towards her and kissed him.

"Don't overthink this Ty. I'm here. I'm ready for you. I want you."

Needing no more reassurances Ty lay on top of her and entered her slowly. Bay moaned and he stopped.

"Please don't stop, I'm not in pain. It feels good."

Ty kissed her and inserted himself further. When he was all in he started moving in and out of her slowly. Bay wrapped her legs around him and he groaned. None of them had the wish to speak, wanting to enjoy this bittersweet moment in silence.

He couldn't believe she was actually here after that dreadful nightmare. Bay in turn knew that he needed the peace and quiet, just like that day they sat in the truck coming back from the movie.

She wanted more and started moving her hips to his rhythm. He understood and increased his speed. Bay was in heaven. So that is what it was all about. Now that the pain was almost gone, she couldn't get enough of him. She felt her body tingle and that now familiar sensation that preceded her release.

Ty felt it too. Her body started contracting around him and then she threw her head back and moaned. Ty was ready as well. He finished with a few long strokes and collapsed on top of her.

He didn't move for a long time. She ran her hands up and down his back. She found his tattoo and circled her fingers over it.

After a while he lifted himself slightly and looked at her "How do you always know what I need?"

She stroked his hair "I know when you need to be close to me. All you need is to let yourself."

"Thank you Bay."

_**UFFFF, that was a writing marathon today. What do you want next? Shall I bring Emmett and Noah into the mix to shake things up a bit? I had a request for Daphne, but she doesn't really inspire me. **_


	11. What's he doing here?

Ty woke up and stretched. He looked to his side and saw Bay. She was sleeping and looked beautiful. Ty thought about last night and his nightmare. She had been there for him like no other had before. He had sworn to himself not to have sex again with her for a couple of days and yet he had made love to her again during the night. She didn't seem to have been in pain and it had been beautiful. He felt her stirring next to him.

"Good morning gorgeous."

Bay looked at him and smiled "Good morning to you too."

"How are you feeling today?"

Bay tried to stretch in the narrow bed "I seem to be in one piece. Actually I feel good, I feel really good. Ty, last night was wonderful."

Ty stroked her cheek and kissed her "I'm glad to hear that. I need to get up, I have to be at the motor pool in half an hour. When is your shift?"

"Not until 10, so I'm going home and have a shower and get changed."

"Gosh it's hard to get out of this bed with you still in it. What are you doing on Sunday?"

Bay hugged his chest "More of this…"

Ty smiled "I got us tickets for the Goosedown concert downtown."

"Really? I love them"

"Well then, better get out of bed so I don't get my weekend privileges revoked. I would love for you to have a shower with me, but I will definitely not make it to work then."

Bay smiled and patted his chest "Next time…"

Ty got up "Next time indeed."

_ _ " _

Bay got home and opened the door. Regina was dressed for work and having her coffee in the kitchen.

"Hi Regina."

"Bay, how good to see you. How are you, are you feeling ok."

Bay did not reply. She walked over to Regina and enveloped her in a tight hug.

"Thank you Regina, thank you. You can't begin to imagine what it meant to us that you let me stay."

"Oh Bay. I really felt I shouldn't have. But hey, you only have a moment like that once."

"Regina, I really don't feel comfortable talking about it if that's ok. I just want to let you know that I feel great."

"Of course Bay, there is no need for details, believe me. I'm not even going to try and pry. I need to get to work now, will you be ok."

"Yes, I will."

Regina stepped out and Bay made herself coffee and sat at the table. She couldn't believe she wasn't a virgin anymore. She smiled when she thought to herself that two years ago she had been so ready to loose it to the same guy who she had ultimately done it with now. Three boyfriends and two years later and still it ended up being Ty. Maybe it had been meant to be like that.

She got in the shower. She could still smell Ty on her. The water felt nice and she felt a slight soreness, but nothing she couldn't handle. She got dressed and ready for work and made her way to Maui.

_ " _

Bay had been working solidly for the past three hours when Mary Beth came to see her.

"Hey there, I thought I could come and relieve you for lunch."

"Hi MB, nice to see you. How you doing?"

"There are bad days and less bad days. Today is a less bad day. Maybe in the future there will good days again."

Bay hugged her "There will be, I'm sure."

They were interrupted by a banging noise on the table. Bay turned around and saw Emmett and Travis standing in front of the booth.

"_**Hi guys**_" Bay signed "_**What are you doing here. Do you want to play a round of shark surf**_?"

Mary Beth was looking at Bay with a surprised look on her face "You know how to sign?"

"Yes, I go to a Deaf school. Long story. This is Emmett and this is Travis. _Guys this is Mary Beth_"

Mary Beth raised her hand in greeting.

Emmett looked at Bay "_**Actually, I wanted to see you. Do you have a minute**_?"

"_**Sure, it's my lunch hour now. Let's go round the back. Travis, do you want to stay and keep Mary Beth company**_?"

"_**Sure**_" signed Travis

They went to the back office and sat down.

"_**You look good Bay**_" Emmett signed.

"_**Thank you, I feel great. What brings you here**_?"

"_**I wanted to ask you if we can organize a Carlton Deaf student reunion here at Maui. You know, get together, play some games and raise awareness for Deaf culture**_."

"_**Emmett, that is such a good idea. Tell me what you are thinking and I will speak to Mack**_."

In the mean time Travis asked Mary Beth for a piece of paper.

He smiled and wrote on it "How long have you been working here? I read lips so you don't need to write"

Mary Beth said "Four weeks. What do you do?"

"I go to school with Bay and I work at her dad's car wash."

They continued their back and forth written and spoken conversation for a while and Travis told her about being born Deaf and meeting Bay through Emmett.

They were enjoying themselves trying to figure out the best way to communicate.

"Mary Beth" she heard her name being called and saw Ty approaching. He hugged her. "Good to see you."

"Hi Ty" nice to see you too "This is Travis."

Ty shook Travis hand. "He's deaf" Mary Beth explained.

Ty tried to remember the sign for how are you. He managed more or less and Travis smiled and said ok.

"You sign too?" Mary Beth said incredulously.

Ty laughed "I know about four sentences from hanging out with my friend Daphne."

Mary Beth smiled.

"Where's Bay?" Ty asked "I brought her lunch from her favorite place."

"She's with Travis friend Emmett in the back office. He's also Deaf"

Ty's face changed and assumed a thunderous expression.

"She's with Emmett? I'll be back."

Mary Beth flinched and looked at Travis. He shrugged.

"_**Who's that**_." He signed and Mary Beth understood.

"That is Ty. He is Bay's boyfriend."

Travis rolled his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

He grabbed the piece of paper "Emmett was with Bay for almost one year. It's complicated."

Mary Beth raised her hand to her mouth "Oh no."

Emmett had been explaining to Bay what exactly he was planning. Putting signs on the booths and having a stand for the Carlton School. He also wanted to know if Toby would be available for them to play before they did a screening of Deafenstein.

Bay was very enthusiastic and assured him that she would do everything in her power to make it happen.

"_**You are a good friend. Better go check on Travis now**_." Emmett signed and got up.

He gave her a hug. Bay smiled and hugged him back, just as they heard the office door slamming shut.

Ty was looking at them, a furious expression on his face "What's going on here?"

Bay let go of Emmett, a flustered expression on her face "Ty, what are you doing here?"

That didn't make Ty's mood any better "What am I doing here?" he thundered "How about what's he doing here."

Emmett looked from one to the other, then settled on Bay. He shrugged his shoulders and raised his hands "_What's he doing here_?" he signed.

Bay shook her head and looked incredulously around the room. She wanted to ask herself now what she was doing here.

She started with Ty "Emmett is here because he wants me to work with him on doing a Deaf awareness day here at Maui. He was telling me what his ideas are."

"Do those ideas include hugging?" Ty was still angry.

"Emmett was just leaving, I was saying goodbye, please Ty, calm down."

"Calm down? Are you serious? You spend the night with me, I come and bring you lunch and I find you in the arms of your ex-boyfriend?"

Emmett looked at Bay with an agitated look on his face "_**You slept with him**_?" he signed.

Bay closed her eyes. This was not going well "_**Ty and I are dating, Emmett**_."

Emmett shook his head.

Ty was still furious "Look, Bay I don't understand sign language, but it is quite clear to me that Emmett doesn't know about us. You didn't tell him?"

"Ty, I hadn't seen him. It's not like I didn't want to tell him. It just didn't come up."

Bay signed to Emmett "_**You need to leave now**_."

Emmett left with a hurt look on his face.

Bay held Ty's arm "Please, Ty, there is nothing going on between Emmett and me. We're just friends, I swear."

"Friends with your ex? He still has feelings for you Bay, it's written all over his face."

"Ty, I told you yesterday that I didn't have any friends. I need someone to talk to sometimes."

Ty was fuming "And you chose Emmett of all people. What happened to Simone, what happened to Daphne?"

"Well if you really want to know, Emmett slept with Simone while we were dating, then Noah cheated on me with Daphne. Do you think that is reason enough for me not wanting to be friends with them?"

Ty looked at Bay "Who the fuck is Noah?"

_**I hope you like it. I wanted to get the new chapter out before the weekend, as I can't write then. Looking forward to a new episode on Monday. Please, please review.**_


	12. A new friend

Bay looked at Ty "Noah is someone I dated briefly and…"

"You know what? Don't bother" Ty interrupted her.

He stormed out of the little office and past Emmett, Travis and Mary Beth.

Mary Beth looked after Ty with a worried look on her face. She looked at Emmett and could tell he was upset as well.

"I need to go and see Bay" She told Travis.

Travis nodded and wrote on the paper "Do you want to have lunch tomorrow?'

Mary Beth smiled "Yes" she said and walked away.

Travis looked at Emmett "_**Sorry**_" he signed.

Emmett shrugged his shoulders in a defeated manner "_**I could deal with Noah. He was harmless. Ty… he's a different ball game**_."

"_**Who's the guy**_?"

"_**He's someone Bay dated two years ago. She loved him, man. Then he went off to the army. I had no idea he was back."**_

"_**You want to fight for her? Right now would be a good time, I guess**_."

"_**No Travis, she has moved on**_."

Travis put his arm around Emmett's shoulders "_**We'll find you someone else**_."

Emmett just shrugged.

"_**Hey, what do you think of Mary Beth? I think she's into me**_."

Emmett looked at Travis "_**Can we please not talk about girls right now**_?"

In the mean time Mary Beth had rushed into the little office. She found Bay sitting on the table wiping tears from her eyes. She looked up when she heard the door. The hopeful look in her eyes was extinguished when she saw Mary Beth. She slumped her shoulders.

"MB, sorry, I thought it might be Ty."

Mary Beth squeezed in next to her and put an arm around her shoulders "He left."

Bay sniffled trying to keep back more tears.

"Oh Mary Beth. Why does this need to be so hard. I feel like we're fighting all the time. I didn't know Emmett was coming. There's nothing going on between Emmett and me. We broke-up a long time ago."

"Bay, you need to understand that Ty is not acting 100% rational right now. Every little thing, no matter how irrelevant, can send him over the edge."

"What do I do?"

"Leave him be for a couple of hours. These things come and go. I'll talk to him if you want to. I'm not as emotionally involved as you. He loves you Bay. It must have been hard for him to see you with Emmett."

"Would you?" Bay smiled at her "You're a good friend. I don't have many at the moment."

"Of course I will. And I want to be your friend."

"Thank you. I'd love that. I didn't want to burden you with my problems. You have enough of your own."

Mary Beth smiled at her "How about we share this delicious lunch that Ty brought and you tell me everything?"

Bay didn't need to be asked twice. She opened the containers and briefly felt the tears stinging in her eyes when she saw that it was her favorite food. She quickly wiped them away and sat down to eat.

She told Mary Beth about the switch and meeting Ty, about how devastated she had been when he left and how Emmett and she had grown close when he helped her in her quest for her father.

She also told her about Emmett's cheating and her attending Carlton. She finished off by describing the stand-off at the school, her relationship with Noah and how she had felt deserted by everyone.

Mary Beth listened to her quietly, only interjecting when she felt that she needed more clarification. Then she hugged Bay.

"What a story Bay. You're a very strong person. I can see why Ty fell for you in the very beginning."

"You see MB, I would never, ever cheat on Ty. I've been cheated on twice in the past year alone. I know how it feels and I'd never do that to him. How could he think I would?"

"Does he know about the cheating?"

"I told him just now and he stormed off."

"Bay, I'm so sorry."

"Oh MB, I feel like I know nothing. I go to high-school, I've hardly been abroad. And there's Ty, who's seen so many things and been with glamorous army medics."

"Bay, you don't realize how strong you are. You might go to high-school, but you've been through more than anyone I've ever met. Ty loves YOU, not some glamorous army medic or anyone else. You're helping him so much. I can see such a big change in him."

Bay smiled "You're a good friend."

Mary Beth took Bay's hand "My shift is almost done. I'll go and see him in a little while."

"Yesterday I slept with him. It was my first time. It was wonderful. I just want to be in his arms again. I was heartbroken when he stormed out of here."

Mary Beth hugged Bay "Oh no, I can't imagine how you must be feeling. I'll give him a piece of my mind, don't you worry."

Bay smiled and looked at Mary Beth "I bet you will. Thank you. How about you, how're you doing today?"

Mary Beth blushed "Well, while all the drama was going on in here, I got asked on a date."

Bay was astonished "What? Really? I'm so happy for you. Did Mack finally come to his senses?"

"Not Mack. I'm having lunch with Travis."

Bay was stunned "Travis? Wow. I didn't see that one coming. Good for you MB. He's a good guy."

Mary Beth smiled "I'll need some sign language lessons I guess."

"We'll start first thing tomorrow."

"Thank you Bay. I'm off now to sort out your boyfriend. Don't you worry about a thing. He'll be putty in your hands by this evening. I promise."

"I hope so, MB, I hope so."

_**A slightly shorter chapter this time. Am still trying to figure out where to go with the story. Really wanted for Bay to have a friend. Are you ready for the confrontation between MB and Ty next? Please review. Your reviews make my day!**_


	13. The confrontation

Ty had returned to the base. He could hardly remember how he had managed to drive his truck over. He was consumed with rage. He thought about how much he had missed her while he was working at the motor pool that morning. He kept thinking about her warm body next to him when he woke-up. He had wondered if she was missing him as well. He wanted to do something nice for her and had stopped by her favorite restaurant during his break to get them lunch. He had wanted to surprise her. And then it had been him who had been in for a surprise. He thought about him walking into that room. Of seeing his Bay hugging Emmett, both with a blissful smile on their faces. He could feel the rage building up again. Then she had had the cheek to ask him what he was doing there. Like he had no right to be there. Ty banged his fists against the Humvee he was working on. He was so angry. Just the thought of her leaving his arms this morning and being in Emmett's three hours later was driving him insane.

"Ty, you're going to get yourself hurt."

Ty spun around wildly and saw Mary Beth standing there.

"Mary Beth, this is not a good time."

"Why? Because you're overreacting and I just had to console your girlfriend? Who you left in tears by the way."

"Mary Beth, stay out of this."

Mary Beth took hold of his arm forcefully and shook it.

"Ty, you're being an ass."

Ty was stunned and stepped back.

"Mary Beth…"

"No, you listen to me now. Bay didn't do anything. She was just hugging a friend goodbye."

"You don't know half the story here…I"

"Ty, I know the full story here and I'm telling you that you're seeing way more into this than what happened." Mary Beth took a deep breath "She loves you and all she wants is for you to take her in your arms again. Jesus Ty, you slept with her yesterday. It was her first time. It's a big deal for us girls, you know?"

Ty was looking at Mary Beth open-mouthed.

"Ok, MB this is way too private."

"Too private? Do you realize she has no friends? And the little friendship she has with Emmett you want to squash as well?"

"I can't face her being with Emmett, I just can't. Did she tell you I called her and she broke-up with me over the phone? Do you know how long it took me to deal with that?"

"Yes, well it didn't take you that long either to hook-up with Aida, did it?"

"Oh great, she told you about her mini meltdown as she called it."

"Mini meltdown? Ty did you listen to a word she said to you? She was cheated on twice by her ex-boyfriends. And with her best friend and her 'sister". Can you blame her for being jealous?"

Ty took a deep breath and ran his hand across his eyes.

"I'm being an ass, aren't I?"

Mary Beth smiled

"You sure are, with a big 'A'. As little as I know Bay, if there is one thing I am sure of is that she will never cheat on you. She has first hand experience on how much it hurts."

"I brought her lunch. I wanted to surprise her."

"Yes you did, which we ate. Do you realize she started to cry again when she opened those containers? It was you she wanted to share it with, not me."

Ty put his face between his hands.

"God, Mary Beth, I feel terrible. I'm so sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. You have to apologize to her."

"I don't know why these things keep happening to me, I just see red."

Mary Beth put a hand on top of his arm "I know Ty, it's hard and it has to do with what you saw in that awful place and what you're going through. But Bay is special, and you need to learn to trust her."

"I know, and I love her so much. I'll go and see her now."

"Good. And make sure to buy some flowers or something. Her shift ends in one hour."

"Thank you for coming MB. And thank you for being a friend to her and to me. Maybe she won't have to run to bloody Emmett now."

"Ty" Mary Beth said with a warning in her tone.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry."

Mary Beth left and Ty stood by the Humvee he was working. He leaned on the vehicle and rubbed his temple. He was an idiot, a total idiot. This was the second time he had hurt Bay in two days. Why did he just leave without letting her explain. It was like his mind blanked and he didn't have control over it anymore. And coupled with the timing of events, it was just too much for him to deal with. He couldn't wait to apologize to her. He hoped that she would accept his apology, he didn't know how he would cope if she didn't.

He finished his work and went to have a shower and change his clothes. He picked-up a blanket, climbed into his truck and took off on his apology mission. He would go to her place and ask her on a picnic. He stopped by a shop to buy food and the biggest bouquet of flowers he could find. His hands were sweating when he pulled up in front of her apartment building.

He knocked on the door. There was no answer. He knew she was in because he had seen her car parked outside. He rang the bell again and knocked on the door forcefully. He heard a rustling noise inside and a short time later Bay opened the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her red eyes. Bay looked at him with eyes full of hurt "Ty" she whispered.

He didn't say anything. In fact he didn't know if his voice could be heard at all, he felt so choked up. He just hugged her. She melted into his arms and he rested his head on her hair.

He kissed her head "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Bay looked at his remorseful face "Did MB give you a piece of her mind?"

"Boy, did she! She called me an ass, and that's exactly what I am."

Bay laughed then turned serious "You scared me. I didn't think you would come back."

"I know Bay. And I am so sorry. Will you come on a date with me?"

"I would love to."

_**Hope you liked it. Reviews please!**_


	14. Ty is sorry

Bay went to fetch her jacket and they walked out the door hand in hand. Ty drove the short distance to Flint Park.

"Where're we going? Back to your room?"

"No, we're going to have a picnic."

He got out of the car and headed towards the park. It was empty as most of the people had left when it went dark.

Ty found a quiet spot and spread out the blanket. He sat down on it pulled Bay down next to him. He reached into the bag and took out the roses.

"I'm sorry." He handed the flowers to Bay.

Bay smiled and smelled them "Oh Ty."

He unpacked the food and handed her a plate. Bay took it and looked at the sky

"This is nice."

After they had eaten Ty lay down and Bay laid her head on his chest. He stroked her back.

"I'm happy that you've confided in Mary Beth, she's important to me."

"I know. She needs a brother type friend after what happened. I'm in need of a friend as well, so it works out for both of us."

"Do you know she called me an ass?"

Bay laughed "She did? I'm surprised as she's such a quiet, soft spoken girl. You were a bit of an ass I guess."

Ty winced "I know. I just snapped. And I'm so sorry to hear about Simone and Daphne. That can't have been easy. Do you want to talk about it?"

Bay's face turned serious "I don't know Ty. I never really talked about it with anyone before."

Ty took her hand in his "Bay, I want for us to be able to share things. I don't know how much I can handle at this time because of the things going on in my head, but I know that I want for us to be friends as well."

Bay took a deep breath "Ty, when you left I was in a bad place. I mean, with everything that happened with my family, you were the one good thing that I had at that time. And then you left and I was devastated."

Ty took a deep breath and squeezed her hand.

"So I decided to focus my energy on finding Angelo. I didn't know where to start and Daphne had no interest. Emmett helped me at that time. He came up with ideas and was there for me. I guess one thing led to another and we started dating."

Ty's eyes clouded over. Bay saw it and stopped "Ty, if you…"

"No, go on, I'm fine."

"Ok. After I found Angelo and tried to get to know him, Emmett's parents decided to separate and he started to go through a really bad time."

Bay took a deep breath.

"Simone was dating Toby at the time. Emmett slept with her Ty. He cheated on me with my brother's girlfriend and I found out weeks later at the Deaf prom."

Bay felt tears stinging in her eyes.

Ty hugged her to him and kissed her head.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. His loss is my gain. How can you even bear to talk to him after that?"

"It took a long time. I didn't want to see him. One day we talked and he explained that he had been drinking, Simone had been drinking and that they were both in a very dark place."

Ty shook his head "And you forgave him?"

Bay shook her head "No…, I will never forgive him. Never. When I started going to Carlton I was very lonely and I felt bullied by some of the students who didn't want hearing people to attend. Emmett was the only one who'd talk to me. We re-kindled our friendship in that way."

"Bay, it'll be hard for me to deal with that. I'll try, but it will be hard. First because I'm jealous and second because he hurt you so much that I want to punch him."

"Oh Ty, please don't. I really don't hang-out with him that often and he only came to see me because he wants to plan a Deaf day at Maui. It's important to me. These are the people I go to school with."

"Ok Bay, as I said, I'll try."

"Thank you."

"So tell me what happened with Daphne. You know I haven't seen her since I'm back, and we were good friends."

Bay's eyes clouded over again.

"I don't mind you seeing her, just not with me. I'm not ready to be friends with her yet."

"You want to tell me about it?" Ty played with her long locks.

"When I went to Carlton I met this boy, Noah, he's hearing just like me. He has Meniere's disease, which means that he is slowly going deaf. We hung-out a lot, mostly because of the bullying situation I told you about."

Ty pulled her hair gently "Yes, yes, and one thing led to another…"

Bay smiled "You make me sound like a harlot. It's hardly as if you were a Saint either. And I didn't have sex with anyone."

Ty rolled her on top of him and ran his hands across her bottom "I beg to differ there."

Bay squealed and he kissed her.

"Well, until you came along and seduced me into your bed."

"I did. And it was the best thing that ever happened to me." He kissed her again and after a little while he pushed her off him and lay next to her once more.

"I want to hear the rest of the story."

"And there was me hoping for a break…anyway, Noah and I dated for a couple of weeks. We were just getting to know each other. Then my Mum decided to direct the Romeo and Juliet play at school. Noah was Romeo and Daphne was cast as Juliet."

Ty took a deep breath and rolled his eyes "Please don't tell me this is going where I think its going."

"Yes, it is."

"Dude! How corny is that? Bay, I can't believe it."

"Yes, well they were rehearsing a kiss, but it turned into more than that."

Ty laughed out loud.

"I'm so sorry Bay, but that's just unbelievable. You still friends with Romeo as well?"

Bay smiled "Only you can make me smile about this. No, we're not friends and he's in Canada for the summer."

"Thank God for that."

Ty sat-up and pulled Bay on his lap. He kissed her. After a little while Bay pushed him back and looked at him with a serious expression.

"You see Ty, I'd never, ever cheat on you. I've been cheated on, I know what it feels like and I'd never do that to anyone. That's why it hurt so much today. Just the thought that you were thinking that I'd ever do that was killing me."

Ty stroked her cheek "I overreacted. I should've listened to you. It's just that sometimes these days I can't think clearly. I never wanted to hurt you. The whole morning I kept thinking about having you in my arms again and I walked in there and found you in Emmett's. It sent me over the edge."

"I'm happy we talked and got it out of our way. Can we please do more kissing now?"

Ty didn't have to be asked twice. He kissed her longingly and ran his hands up and down her. Bay moaned. Ty felt himself getting hard. He paused and took a deep breath.

"So, what else did MB have to say today? Did she seem ok?"

"She seemed better. She also said that you'd be putty in my hands by the time she was finished with you."

Ty nuzzled her neck "Did she now?" he hugged Bay closer so that she was sitting right on top of his erection "Does this seem like putty to you?"

Bay gasped "No, it certainly doesn't. Are we going to your room now?"

"No Bay, not today. It's late and I don't want to rush through it just for the sake of doing it. You need to be home in one hour."

"Oh Ty, please. I can probably stretch my curfew for another hour."

"No. Regina was already more than accommodating yesterday by letting you stay with me. Let's not push it. Tomorrow we'll go to the base and I'll make love to you over and over again."

Bay kissed him "I can't wait."

They lay back down on the blanket and gazed at the stars for another 45 minutes.

_**This chapter is a bit corny, I know, I know. I hope you still enjoy it. I can't wait for your reviews.**_


	15. A difficult triangle

Bay arrived at Maui to start her shift at 10 the next morning. Mary Beth was already waiting for her at the shark booth.

"Hey MB, I thought your shift didn't start until 3!"

"It does, I came for some lessons on how to sign."

"Oh MB, how exciting, with all that happened yesterday I completely forgot about your lunch."

"How did it go with Ty?"

"It went well, really well. We're in a good place again. Thank you so much for your help."

"I'm so happy to hear that Bay."

Bay's phone vibrated. She looked at it and saw that it was a message from Emmett.

TRAVIS GOING FOR LUNCH WITH THAT GIRL NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT DEAF DAY. ARE YOU FREE FOR LUNCH

Bay sighed and looked at Mary Beth "What should I do. I can't have lunch with him. Ty will freak out."

"Why don't you tell Emmett to come with Travis if he needs to talk to you? You can tell Ty he's coming so that he doesn't think you're hiding anything from him."

"Good idea MB, I'll do that." She picked-up her phone.

HAVE PLANS FOR LUNCH BUT WE CAN TALK BEFORE THAT. COME WITH TRAVIS

A short time later her phone vibrated with a message from Emmett.

I WILL BE THERE AT NOON

Bay texted Ty.

EMMETT COMING AT NOON TO DISCUSS DEAF DAY. JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW.

Her phone vibrated almost immediately after.

OK. I WILL COME AT NOON AS WELL. THEN WE CAN GO FOR LUNCH AFTER WE DISCUSS DEAF DAY WITH EMMETT.

Bay rolled her eyes and showed the message to Mary Beth.

"I guess this is how it's going to be now. I hope everything will go ok."

"Oh Bay, I wouldn't want to be in your shoes right now."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Let's start with getting you signing."

It was a slow morning and Bay had the time to run Mary Beth through a few basic signs. She also filled her in on Travis background and his complicated family life. Mary Beth was an enthusiastic learner and she quickly grasped four or five sentences.

In the mean time Emmett was sitting at home with Travis.

"_**I am going with you to Maui to discuss a few things with Bay**_"

"_**Ok**_" Travis signed "_**You gonna fight for her after all? That boyfriend seemed very pissed off yesterday**_."

"_**I might, I might. If things are bad between them it would be a good opportunity for me to rock the boat a bit**_."

Travis laughed and punched him on the shoulder.

"_**You go wingman**_!"

Emmett laughed "_**Let me know if you need some help with Mary Beth**_."

They headed out the door together and made their way to Maui.

A short while later they arrived at the shark booth.

Mary Beth's face lit-up when she saw Travis. She concentrated on the sign for "Hello, how are you." She managed it well enough.

Travis looked surprised and smiled "Very well, thank you. Lunch?"

Mary Beth nodded and they made their way over to the food area.

Mack arrived to relieve Bay for lunch.

Bay signed to Emmett "_**Shall we go in the back**_?"

Emmett nodded and they went into the small office.

"_**Are you ok after yesterday? Sorry for that**_" he signed.

Bay looked at him. He didn't look apologetic at all.

"_**I'm fine thanks. What do you want to discuss**_?"

They heard the door opening and Ty walked in. Emmett looked surprised. He walked over to Emmett and shook his hand.

"Hey there man, sorry I didn't get to say hello yesterday."

Emmett raised his hands "_**No problem**_."

"Let me say hello to my girlfriend here quick."

He walked over to Bay and hugged her. He let his hands drop to the middle of her bottom and kissed her.

"Hey there baby. I've missed you. Can't wait for tonight." He winked at her and made sure that they were standing in a way that allowed Emmett to read his lips.

Bay blushed and smiled and Emmett looked a bit flustered which Ty acknowledged with glee.

"_**Emmett, let's discuss your ideas then quickly, as I need to go for lunch before my hour is up**_."

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and explained to Bay about the screening of Deafenstein, the Carlton students who had confirmed they were attending and the posters that had already been started for the various booths. Ty leaned against the desk and observed the proceedings silently. He was kept in the loop by Bay's talking while she was signing.

Bay explained to Emmett that she had talked to Mack briefly and that he thought it was a great idea. They finalized the logistics about who was coming when and bringing what.

"_**Do you need me to do anything else**_?" Bay signed.

"_**Well, if you're not to busy, I was wondering if we could do a Hammer Girl banner. I can help you if you want**_."

Ty looked at Bay and she said "He wants me to do a Hammer Girl banner."

Ty raised his eyebrow "Yes, and he wants to help you with it. I know some signs here and there Bay. And I know the sign for help. Got it often enough from Daphne."

He walked over to Emmett.

"She'll make the Hammer Girl poster. I don't think your help will be needed."

Ty emphasized and signed the word "help".

"In fact, if Bay needs _**help**_, I will be more than happy to assist her."

Ty rolled up his sleeve and held his arm in front of Emmett.

"You see? I know exactly what Hammer Girl looks like."

Emmett saw the tattoo and paled. Ty acknowledged his shocked expression and took Bay's hand.

"I think we're done here. I'm going to take Bay for lunch now."

Bay gave Emmett an apologetic look "_**Sorry for cutting it short Emmett, but my lunch hour is almost up**_."

Emmett nodded and waved goodbye. Bay and Ty walked out of the office hand in hand.

Emmett closed his eyes and stared at the door for two minutes. He then slowly made his way to the car.

_**A shorter chapter this time. I hope you like it. The next chapter will deal with MB and Travis lunch and I think it's time for another steamy scene between Ty and Bay. Your reviews keep me going so please continue to review. **_


	16. Finding solutions

Ty and Bay made their way over to the food court. Ty was gripping Bay's hand with some force and Bay was silent for once. She could feel the tension in him and she hoped that he would calm down soon. When they arrived they saw Mary Beth and Travis engrossed in conversation. Travis was writing on a piece of paper and Mary Beth laughed when he showed her.

Bay felt Ty relax his grip on her.

"It's nice to hear her laugh" he said.

Bay nodded "Travis is a good guy. He had a thing for Daphne, but that's in the past. He's been through a rough time as well. Maybe they'll help each other along."

They walked over to say hello. Mary Beth spotted them and waved.

"Hey guys, nice to see you. Do you want to join us?"

Ty smiled "Hi MB, nice to see you having fun. Bay and I have some matters to discuss and you should enjoy your date." He squeezed Bay's hand and she rolled her eyes at Mary Beth.

Travis looked at Bay "Emmett?" he signed.

Bay shook her head "Gone".

Travis nodded and focused his attention back on Mary Beth.

Bay and Ty ordered their food and went to find a table in the corner.

Bay took hold of Ty's hand.

"Thank you" she said.

Ty knew what she meant. She was thanking him for not having made a scene and for having kept his composure. He squeezed her hand again.

"Bay, you can't imagine how difficult it all was for me. You do realize that Emmett has feelings for you, right?"

"Ty…I told you, I'll never…"

"I know Bay and I believe you. And you want to be friends with him for some reason that I don't understand. But he wants to be more than friends. Dude! It's written all over his face."

Bay sighed "Ty, if you don't want me to talk to him, I won't. I'll do that for you."

"Honestly, Bay, yes, that's exactly what I want. But I do realize that your lives are connected through school and all that. So hang-out with him if that's what you want. One condition though, I want to be there too."

"Ok then Ty, I don't think there will be many reasons for us to get together after Deaf day."

"He needs to understand that you're with me now."

"Ty…, I think you made that quite clear today."

"Good! I need to head back now."

"Yes, me too. I'll walk you to your truck."

They walked to Ty's truck and he kissed her good-bye.

Bay smiled "Does your offer still stand for tonight?"

Ty feigned ignorance "What offer?"

"The one where you make love to me over and over again?"

Ty slapped his forehead "Ah, that one! How did it skip my mind?"

Bay laughed and slapped his chest playfully. Ty grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him.

"Of course it stands. Tonight will be memorable. When should I collect you?"

He nuzzled her neck.

"I can come straight from work at 4."

He kissed her again "I'll be counting the minutes."

Bay made her way back to the shark booth and could see Mary Beth engrossed in conversation with Travis. She spotted Mack and walked over to him.

"Hey Mack! It looks like MB is having a ball over there. Do you have some job for her that she could do and hang-out with Travis at the same time?"

Mack smiled "She does look happy. Let me see what I can do."

They walked over together. Mary Beth spotted them and waved.

"Mack, this is Travis."

Mack said hello and Travis raised his hand.

"Mary Beth, there was a near short-circuit earlier on at the ski ball. Could you go around and check all the outlets? Maybe Travis can help you?"

Travis looked at Bay, who quickly explained to him in sign language. He smiled and nodded. Mary Beth walked off with him.

"Thanks Mack" Bay said.

"She deserves to have some fun. I love to see you sign. I can't wait to see you in action on our Deaf day."

"Thanks for making it possible. It means a lot to me."

"How could I say no to the screening of the incredible Deafenstein? I can't wait to see it." He laughed and walked off.

Bay worked for the rest of the afternoon and counted the minutes until the end of her shift. She couldn't wait to see Ty again. At 3:45 Mary Beth came to relieve her. Bay smiled at her.

"How did it go with Travis?"

"Oh Bay, it went well, really well. I think he likes me. He wants me to be his date for the Deaf day. And we're going to the movies tomorrow. Provided something is on with close captions."

Bay hugged her "I'm happy for you MB. You truly deserve it."

"How did it go with Ty? He seemed tense."

Bay rolled her eyes again "He went through a rough time in there. But then he also made sure to lay his claim on me in front of Emmett. From grabbing my bum to shoving his tattoo in Emmett's face."

Mary Beth laughed "Do you think Emmett got the message?"

"Quite clearly would be my guess."

"Are you going home now?"

"No, I am off to the barracks. I need some TLC after that scene."

Mary Beth winked at her "I'm sure Ty will be happy to provide that. Off you go then."

Bay got into her car and drove off. It was a hot day and she was sweating. She briefly pondered whether to go home and shower but decided against it. She just wanted to see Ty. She arrived at the barracks and made her way to his room. She knocked and he opened the door. He smiled when he saw her.

"Come on in princess, I just got back from my shift."

He looked hot and sweaty as well.

Bay closed the door behind her and Ty hugged her. He kissed her and held her closer to him. Bay could feel his erection pressing against her stomach. She moaned.

He took her face in her hands "I can't get enough of you Bay. Tonight I am going to kiss you everywhere."

Bay looked into his smoldering eyes "Oh Ty, I want you to kiss me everywhere. But then I need a shower first; I am sweating up a storm."

Ty smiled wickedly "Well, I could use one myself."

He lifted her off her feet and carried her towards the bathroom. She squealed and put her arms around his neck. He kissed her. "Let's go steam up that mirror."

_**Are you ready for another steamy chapter? Let me know!**_


	17. Bay and Ty get steamy

**_WARNING: Very mature M rated content in this chapter. If it offends you please don't read._**

Once they were in the tiny bathroom Ty set Bay on the floor and turned on the shower. He took off his shirt and then helped Bay out of hers. He hugged her to him while undoing the clasp of her bra and Bay tried to open his belt. He took over that part and Bay took off her jeans. In less than a minute they were naked and Ty checked the water temperature. He stepped aside and extended his arm.

"Ladies first."

Bay stepped in and he got in after her and closed the shower door. The space was so small that they had to squeeze very closely together to fit inside it.

Bay closed her eyes and let the water run down her long hair. Ty looked at her and was instantly hard. He ran his hands across her breasts and circled her nipples. Bay moaned.

"Bay, you look so beautiful."

"Mmmmhh Ty, that feels so good."

He took the shampoo and lathered her hair with it. Bay ran her hands across his chest marveling at the muscles and his six pack.

"Ty, your body feels hard like a rock, it's amazing, how do you do that?"

Ty smiled "Working on those Humvees in the sun helps. Plus, I try to go to the gym once a day, though lately somebody keeps distracting me from it."

"Awww, I'm sorry, I'll try to make sure that you still get your exercise."

"I look forward to that."

He ran his soapy hands along her body until he reached her center. He stroked her folds lightly and pressed his thumb against her clit.

"How are you feeling down here? Still sore?"

Bay shook her head "It feels good" She kissed him "I can't wait" She moaned in his ear.

Ty took a deep breath "Neither can I."

He focused his attention on her clit. Bay gasped. She looked for the shampoo and washed his hair, then let her hands run over his member. Ty groaned. Bay needed him, she needed him now.

"Ty, I can't do this anymore. I want you right now."

Ty looked at her hungrily and turned off the shower. He stepped out and grabbed two towels. Bay reached for one, but he shook his head.

"There's no time for that."

Naked and dripping he took her hand and guided her to the extra bed in his room. He quickly spread the towels on the bare mattress and pushed Bay down on the bed. He opened the nightstand drawer and took out a condom. In no time it was on and he knelt between her legs. Bay pulled him down and he entered her in one fluid motion. Bay gasped.

Ty looked at her "You ok?"

Bay nodded "Move please."

Ty slowly moved in and out of her. Bay wanted more. She moved her hips

"Ty, faster!"

Ty did not need to be asked twice. He increased his speed and Bay let out a loud groan.

He could feel her tensing up around him and in no time she had a powerful orgasm.

He groaned and emptied himself into her. He took a deep breath and collapsed on top of Bay. She hugged him to her.

"That was…"

"Intense!" Ty finished her sentence.

Bay closed her eyes "Yeah. Intense."

Ty moved off her and removed the condom. He lay down next to her. Bay suddenly shivered.

"You're cold and wet. Let me get you a dry towel."

He went back to the bathroom to dry himself and returned. Bay stood up and he enveloped her in a towel. He rubbed her with it and toweled her hair dry.

"Let's move to my bed. It's warmer in there."

They lay down and Ty pulled the covers over them. Bay snuggled into him and he played with her hair.

"Ty, you have no conditioner, my hair feels like a bird's nest."

"Yeah, conditioner is not one of my top priorities. I'll get one though if you promise me more joint showers like that."

Bay smiled "I'd love more of them."

"So do I. Sit and I'll work on your hair."

"Oh Ty, what do you know about untangling my hair? Have you seen how much of it there is?"

"You'd be surprised about what I know. Come on, sit."

Bay looked at him with some suspicion but settled between his legs.

Ty started untangling her hair. He was so gentle that Bay hardly felt it.

"Ty, you're doing a great job. Where did you learn this? If it was with an ex-girlfriend I don't want to know though."

Ty laughed and kissed her neck.

"Not with an ex-girlfriend. When I was 17 I had a summer job at a horse riding stable. They used to go to shows on weekends and I used to get the horses ready. I untangled a lot of tails and braided them. Your hair's a bit like that."

Bay laughed out loud and slapped his leg "Are you comparing me to a mare now?"

Ty pulled her hair playfully "Not in the slightest, though your hair…hhhm…maybe."

"Yes, I know, I know, there's a lot of it. You are doing a better job than I would do. Will you braid it for me?"

"Sure"

He finished untangling her hair and carefully braided it. Bay got out of bed to find her elastic band and fastened it. She ran her hands through it and looked in the mirror.

"Wow, good job!"

"Yes, it looks great. Bay…back to bed please."

Bay knelt on the bed and crawled over to Ty. He pulled her to him and kissed her. He cupped her breasts and ran his fingers over her nipples.

"Are you ready for round two?"

"Oh yes!" Bay said.

"This one will take longer, I promise."

Ty shifted so he could lie on top of Bay and threw the covers on the floor. He kissed her and slowly pressed into her center. Bay threw her head back and wrapped her legs around him.

"Ty, that feels so good."

"It does! So does everything else we do together."

He slowly moved down and circled her left nipple with his tongue. His actions were slow and measured taking his time to savor all of her. He did the same with her right nipple, then ran his tongue along her stomach and circled her belly button. He moved further down until he reached her middle. Bay moaned and he looked up. Bay looked at him and blushed. He smiled at her wickedly and dove in. He ran his tongue along her folds slowly and he could feel the tension in her building up.

"Ty, oh that feels so good. I'm not sure of how much of this I can take."

"You taste delicious."

He continued his ministrations unfazed and after a while focused on her clit, circling it slowly with his tongue. He could feel her getting wetter and wetter.

Bay was in heaven. She couldn't imagine a better feeling than this. Her whole body felt like it was ready to burst. She had been horrified last time but now she could see herself getting used to this.

Ty upped the stakes and moved his tongue around her faster. He could feel her trying to lift herself, but he held her down. He heard her moan and call his name. She bucketed, then laid still. Ty kissed her, the moved up and lay on top of her.

He looked at her glassy eyes and her flushed cheeks. She looked adorable. He moved a single strand of hair from her face and kissed her.

"I see that you are no longer fighting me, that's good."

"Ty, I love it, I can't get enough of you."

"Same here."

Bay blushed "Ty, I…do you…"

"Do I what?"

"Do you…can I do the same to you?" Bay felt her face burning. She was mortified.

Ty smiled "Of course you can. I would love that. But only if you want to."

"I want to."

Ty rolled them so that he had her on top of him. He kissed her again and ran his hands across her bottom. He squeezed it gently.

"I'm all yours."

Bay smiled. She kissed him one last time, then ran her tongue along his jaw and moved down to his chest. She circled her tongue around his left nipple, then moved to the right one. Ty groaned. She made her way downwards and ran her tongue along his stomach until she reached her final target. She took it in her hand and marveled again at the size of it and the velvety feel of his skin. She slowly ran her hand up and down and felt Ty twitch.

Bay decided to kiss him. He moaned and she smiled. Slowly she wrapped her mouth around him. It didn't taste bad. She moved her mouth up and down his shaft and she felt Ty gripping the sheets.

"Bay, that feels amazing. Are you ok with doing this?"

Bay just nodded and continued. She ventured further bit by bit and took him deeper in her mouth. Ty placed his hands on her head and stroked her hair. Bay found her rhythm and was extremely aroused by her effect on Ty. After a little while she circled her tongue around him and moved faster. Ty groaned loudly and gripped her hair tighter.

"Bay…please stop! Unless you want this to end now."

Bay raised her head and smiled at him.

"So that's how I give you a taste of your own medicine. I'll keep that in mind for the future."

Ty laughed and pulled her on top of him.

"That was amazing Bay. Wow!"

Bay wiggled her hips and suddenly Ty was inside her. She looked surprised and sat-up. Ty grabbed her hips and she slowly tried to move up and down. Ty closed his eyes.

"You feel so damn good around me."

"Yes, we are a perfect fit" Bay tried to concentrate on her movements.

Ty suddenly opened his eyes and lifted Bay off him. Bay gave him a surprised look.

"Ty, what's wrong?"

"Bay…the condom!"

"Oh my God Ty, I forgot. How could I forget? This is the second time this happens to me."

"It's ok, we caught it in time. We have to be more careful."

He grabbed the condom from the nightstand and sheathed himself with it. Bay lay on her back.

"Can you take over now? I can't find the right rhythm yet."

"No problem. Gives us one more excuse to practice next time."

He stretched out on top of her and entered her. Bay moaned and wrapped her legs around him. It felt so good. He moved in and out of her at a steady pace and watched her face. He loved watching her while they made love. Her porcelain skin becoming flushed and her mouth half open in pleasure.

He raised himself and onto his knees and pushed himself deeper inside her. Bay opened her eyes in wonder.

"Oh Ty, oh yes!"

She arched her back. She had never felt so close to him before. He increased his speed and Bay lifted her hips to join him. She could hear the slapping sound of their skin joining and she found it primal and arousing. There it was again, that tingle that preceded the release she had now felt five times. She let herself go and grabbed the bed sheet. She looked at Ty and saw that he was ready as well. Together they reached their climax.

Ty stretched out on top of her. Bay opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I love you Ty Mendosa. That was something else…again."

"And I love you Bay Kennish. You look beautiful."

They were startled by a knock on the door and the sound of an envelope being pushed through the bottom of the door. Ty frowned and stood up. He walked to the door and picked-up the envelope.

Bay was watching him while he opened it and saw him turn white as a sheet.

"What is it Ty?" she asked with a slight panic in her voice.

He looked at her with haunted eyes.

"It's my deployment notice. They're sending me back to Afghanistan at the end of the month."

_**Long chapter. Am tired. What do you think? I love your reviews, keep them coming**_


	18. The redeployment

Now it was Bay who turned white as a ghost. She felt tears burning in her eyes.

"No, please no. You just got back. They can't do this to you..to us."

His heart went out to her when he heard her choked up voice. He sat on the bed and wrapped his arm around her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed her hair. They sat like that for a long time, both immersed in their thoughts.

"Is there any way you can get out of it?" Bay broke the silence.

"No. There is no way. I made a commitment, I need to keep it. My enlistment is until the end of next year. Until then I'll have to stay."

Bay let her tears flow freely now. She had tried to hold them back, but she couldn't any more. Her body was wracked by sobs.

Ty hugged her to him. He could feel the tears stinging in his eyes as well.

"Baby, please don't cry. I love you so much. We'll get through this."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure. Six months, maybe eight? And then I get to be back for two or three months."

"I don't want you to go back to that place. I saw how you got back. Your head all messed up."

"I know Bay, it is a terrible place. But I'm feeling much better, mostly because of you. And I know what to expect now. If I fall into a dark place again, at least I can think about you."

"What if…I can't even bear to say it."

"I'll come back Bay, I promise."

"What if you don't?"

"Bay, that's kind of the deal you make when you're with someone in the military."

"Oh Ty, what're we going to do?"

"I don't know Bay. My biggest worry is that you won't wait for me."

Bay looked at him with teary eyes.

"I love you. I shared something with you that I'd never shared with anyone before. I'll wait."

She moved and sat on his lap. She placed her hands around his neck and kissed him. He hugged her to him.

"Ty, make love to me. I need to feel you close to me."

_**This is a very short chapter and I will update as soon as I see where the season is going on Monday. I wanted to do a time lapse with this story, but it didn't feel right just yet, so I wrote a separate story called "Life of Bay". I hope you get a chance to read it and review. It is very different to this one.**_


	19. Bay's pain

Bay walked the halls of Carlton by herself. She was thankful for the silence around her, one of the benefits that came with going to a Deaf school. It had been four days since the rehearsal diner and two days since Ty had shipped out. She felt tears in her eyes again and ran into the nearest restroom. She leaned on the sink and let the cold water run for a minute, before she used it to splash her face. She looked in the mirror and saw the exhausted and puffy face of a seventeen year old senior staring back at her. She ran her hand across her hair and pulled it away from her forehead. She checked if the words "cheat on me" were written across it, but she couldn't see anything.

She had spent the last four days locked in her studio, painting and painting. It seemed to be the only thing she was able to do at the moment. People knew about what had happened, she had told Daphne, MB, Regina, Kathryn and of course Emmett. They came to see her, but she just wouldn't talk to anyone. One by one they had left her alone, Kathryn the only one who would come to bring her something to eat twice a day, her favorite foods, which she only nibbled at here and there.

Again and again she thought of why, why did Ty cheat on her? She closed her eyes in pain.

She saw the lights flashing in the restroom, the sign that classes were about to start. She sighted, wiped her eyes and made her way to the classroom. She looked around as she entered the room and was thankful that none of her friends were taking this class. She was just not ready to face any of them.

After the morning classes she made her way to the cafeteria and mindlessly picked up a tray. She placed an apple and yoghurt on it and made her way outside. She spotted Emmett and Daphne waving at her and she walked towards them. They smiled and made room for her at the table.

"Hey Bay." Daphne said looking at her carefully.

"Hi Daphne, Emmett."

"How are you doing?" Daphne asked.

"Not well Daphne, not well at all. I just want to go home."

"Bay, I know it's hard but you are taking on a lot of extra subjects this year. You need to somehow snap out of it and concentrate."

"Daphne, I wish I had a button to just snap out of it and concentrate. Maybe later I can take off my clothes and you can look at my body and try and find it." Bay said angrily.

Daphne shrugged and Emmett looked at Bay wistfully.

"Leave her alone." He signed to Daphne.

"Fine!" Daphne rolled her eyes.

"When do you hear about what's going to happen to you?" Emmett asked.

"I spoke to the Attorney General, they haven't set a date yet, but probably at the end of next week."

Bay was shaken from her thinking.

"Oh Daphne, I'm so sorry, I should've asked, instead I'm here snapping at you."

"It's ok Bay, you've got your own problems."

"What did the lawyer say?"

"He says that because I'm a minor, they'll probably let me off easy. He is trying for some community work."

"Have your heard from Jace?"

"No, he's being held at immigration awaiting deportation. They took his phone."

Bay reached to grab Daphne's hand. How did the amazing summer turned into such a fiasco. Daphne being in trouble with the law, Angelo giving Abby back and having his own issues to deal with and her parents being depressed at Toby's eloping with Nikki. She knew Toby was happy, at least that was something. He had moved to Washington to start his year at Wash-U and Nikki was in Peru and due back in another four months.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. She saw Mary-Beth standing behind her. She attempted a weak smile.

"MB, what are you doing here?"

"I came for my ASL lesson. I don't have classes in the afternoon on Monday, so I signed up here at Carlton for the free class."

"That's great, sit with us."

Travis walked up to them carrying two trays and they squeezed around the small table. He sat next to Mary Beth, put his arm around her and kissed her. Mary Beth smiled at him and took his hand. She looked at Bay and saw the sad look in her eyes and felt the weight of her world resting on her shoulders. Se had to tell her, she just had to. But then she thought of the only promise Ty had asked her to keep after having been there for her like no one else and she couldn't.

"This is the quietest school cafeteria I've ever been in."

Bay laughed and translated into sign language, which made everyone break into a smile.

They ate then bid their goodbyes and left in opposite directions. Bay had a meeting with the school college counselor. She found his little office and he smiled when he saw her.

"Bay, it's good to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Weiss."

"Thank you again for the way you stood-up for us. It can't have been easy for you."

"It wasn't, but it was worth it."

"I was told that you took on extra course work so you can graduate early. It this really what you want to do?"

Bay sighted, images of the art school in Berlin flashing through her mind.

"I did it for the wrong reasons." She said.

"So, what do you want me to do? Change it back to the regular schedule?"

"No, I guess I have nothing else to do so I'll stick to it."

"Bay, you're an excellent student, I'm sure you'll make it, but is it really how you want to spend your senior year?"

"Yes."

"What're your plans after school?"

"I was hoping to get accepted into an arts program."

"We'll be having an art exhibition fund raiser in three months, I could try and get the University of Kansas Art Program to attend, I have a friend there."

"Really?"

"Yes, but I can only get them to come, you'll have to do the rest."

"I will."

She left the office feeling a bit better and ran straight into Noah. She looked up at his surprised and he smiled at her.

"Bay, I was hoping I'd get to see you today."

"Why?"

Bay did not look pleased. Emmett spotted her coming round the corner, then his features darkened when he saw Noah. He stood protectively next to Bay. Noah looked a bit flustered.

"Well, I was, I don't know, hoping that we could hang-out some day. Did you have a nice summer?"

Emmett interrupted him.

"Bay, if you're going to hang-out with him, I rather you hung-out with me."

Bay looked incredulously from one to another.

"You know what? The three of you can go to hell."

She walked away. Emmett looked hurt and Noah confused.

"Who's the third?"

"Long story."

Emmett walked away to chase Bay. He reached her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. This day has been too much for me. I have one more class then I'm going home."

"I just snapped. All I could see in front of me was Noah kissing Daphne. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Yes, all I used to be able to see when I looked at you was you kissing Simone."

Emmett looked like he had been punched. Then he looked at her.

"Used to?"

"Yes, used to."

"And now you don't?"

"Emmett, don't push it."

She walked to the classroom and Emmett looked at her back. He smiled.

_**Hope you like it and thanks for the reviews. I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but I find it harder to write a story when it's happening on TV at the same time. At least I made some progress with Life of Bay in the mean time.**_


	20. Emmett

The next three months turned into a routine for Bay. She pretty soon realized that her counselor had been right and that the added school work was a lot take on. It was good since she didn't feel like socializing at all and she would go back home from school and study for three hours after which she spent the rest of the afternoon painting.

Daphne had been sent to do community work at a retirement home for six months, which meant that she had to leave straight after doing her homework. She was still staying with them, since she couldn't get herself to move in with Angelo, although Regina had offered that she would move back to the guest house. Daphne had said no as she didn't want to be seen as a stumbling block in Regina's relationship with Angelo, so she spent most of her days having diner with Regina when Angelo was at the restaurant.

The only people that Bay hung-out with were Emmett and Mary Beth. Emmett would come by most days when she was at her studio, mostly offering his silent support and sometimes commenting on her pieces.

Today he was visiting his father and Mary Beth had come by to see how Bay was doing. She stood silently at the door to the studio and watched as Bay painted a very intense piece in red and black. It looked disturbing to Mary Beth and when she said hello Bay turned around and she could see the tears in her eyes.

"Hi Bay, I just came by to say hello. I didn't want to interrupt."

Bay wiped her sleeve across her eyes.

"It's ok MB, I'm done."

"It looks intense. Are you ok?"

Bay's eyes filled with tears again.

"Most days I'm ok. Today I'm not. Sometimes I just miss him so much, my whole body hurts. That's when I paint like this. It starts as a soft process with the reds, symbolizing love, then I think of what he did to me and that's when the black come in."

Mary Beth took her in her arms. She needed to tell her.

"Bay, I…I"

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Have you…have you heard of he's safe? I know I never ask, but today I'm just coming apart."

"He's in Kabul, they're in the frontlines. I got an e-mail last week."

"In Kabul? Is he being sent to Germany soon? It's been three months now."

"No, he's staying there for another ten months."

"What…? How…? When did his deployment change?"

That's when they heard a motorcycle and their conversation was interrupted. Emmett took off his helmet and smiled at them. He entered the studio and saw the painting and Bay's face. His smile disappeared. So it was a "I miss Ty" day. He heated those days. Mostly he felt like they had become closer, but then all of a sudden she would go into these painting frenzies and when he asked her once what they meant she had told him.

Mary Beth excused herself and walked back to her car. She had tears in her eyes as well. Damn you Ty Mendoza, she thought. Would he have done what he did had he known it would cause Bay so much pain? She was going to send him an e-mail and send him a picture of that painting. Then she thought about the good it would do. To have two people in pain, when he was already at the frontlines and needed every bit of concentration he could get.

"Do you want me to stay?" Emmett asked.

"If you want to. I'm not good company today."

"Yes, I can see that, Bay did you…?"

"Did I what?"

"Did you paint like this after we broke-up?"

"No"

Emmett nodded.

"I didn't paint. I did street art and wanted to run away with Zarra to Mexico."

"Because of me?"

"I don't know. I guess in part because of you."

"It's hard for me to see you like this."

"Emmett, I loved you, I loved Ty. But it's still different. We shared an emotional connection that was deep. With Ty I shared a deep sexual connection and maybe I would've shared the same emotional connection I had with you with him as well over time. I just don't know and that's why I feel like this."

Emmett closed his eyes and winced. Every time Bay mentioned the word sex he flinched. He could've had been her first, he wanted nothing more than to turn back time and share that moment with her. A lot of things could still happen, but that gift had been given to another man. He hoped that Ty had been gentle and that it had been a good experience for her. He knew that if it had been himself he would've made the moment so special. After all he had fantasized about it so often while they were still together.

Now all he could see in his mind was Bay in Ty's arms. He had never seen Ty without his clothes on, but it didn't take much to see that he was very well built. Emmett thought about his own rather scrawny form and the small belly that had now appeared seemingly out of nowhere and he vowed to start going to the gym.

He felt a hand shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at Bay.

"Emmett, what's wrong, did you fall asleep or something?"

"No"

"Then what's up?"

"Nothing."

"You were miles away Emmett, what do you mean nothing?"

"It's just…forget it."

"What? It's just what? Now you have to tell me."

"I just can't face you talking about sex with Ty."

"Oh, ok, I get it. I won't do it again. I thought I could share things with you."

"Of course you can, it's just that that part is painful."

"I'll try and avoid it in the future. Do you realize my birthday is on the day of the art exhibition?"

"I know."

Bay looked at the painting critically. This was one she would not exhibit; it was too private, too raw, although an outsider wouldn't be able to tell. She had painted it in the hopes that it would give her closure, which was the title she had intended for it when she started. Instead it had opened up wounds and she felt worse now than she had before.

"Do you want to go for a ride?"

Bay looked at him undecided. Their rides had always been a form of her escaping reality, but also very intimate moments they had shared. Was she ready to take that step again? She looked back at the painting and at how much she missed Ty, but he was gone, he had cheated on her and was now lost to her forever. She turned back to face Emmett.

"Yes."

Emmett gave her the extra helmet he carried and she took it and winced.

"It's a new one" he said.

She nodded and put it on. Emmett drove off. He made a short stop at a gas station to fill-up the tank and then just drove for one hour through the streets of KC. Bay had his hands around his waist and felt better. She closed her eyes and let the wind roam past her face. In three months she was going to be an adult. Why did she feel so much like 15 year old then?

Emmett took the Cliff Drive and kept driving further up. It was dark when he stopped and beckoned for Bay to get off the bike. They looked at KC sprawled below them. Emmett put a hand around her shoulders and Bay took a deep breath.

After a while Emmett turned so that he was standing in front of Bay. She looked into his eyes and saw that he was leaning forward to kiss her. When their lips met Bay relaxed into his arms. Emmett hugged her tighter to him and let his tongue roam slowly over her lips. He couldn't believe this moment had come. He had longed for it for so long. She tasted so sweet, he could still remember the shape of her mouth so well.

Bay was enjoying Emmett's lips on hers. It felt easy and familiar, like they had just done this yesterday. When she felt his tongue tentatively grazing hers, she opened her mouth to let him in. She felt him hug her tighter to him, and suddenly she was imagining it was Ty who was kissing her, holding her. She pulled back from Emmett in horror. The image had been so vivid she had to blink twice to look at Emmett properly. He was smiling and looking a bit confused.

"Bay, is everything ok?"

"No, no it's not. Please take me back."

Emmett looked hurt.

"Bay…"

"No, I can't, we can't. I'm not ready for this."

Emmett sighted and looked disappointed. He shrugged, handed her the helmet and drove off in direction of Mission Hills.

_**I have gotten mixed reviews and messages and my impression is that you're not happy with the story and that I kept the cheating line. I wanted to stay true to the series and write what I would like to happen in season 3. Hopefully you'll be happier once the next chapters are written. As always I am thankful for all your reviews. **_


	21. Best and worse day

It was Bay's 18th birthday and the day of the art exhibition at Carlton. She woke up feeling nervous, not because she hadn't done these exhibitions in the past, but because the Kansas University Art Coordinator was going to be there. Was this her chance to be accepted? What if he'd hate her pieces? She had no idea about what to do with her life if she wasn't accepted. She put on her dressing gown and went downstairs. It was past 9 in the morning and normally Bay would wake up earlier, but she had been busy until late last night packing up her paintings.

The house was dark. How strange on a Saturday morning. Where were her parents? Had they forgotten about her birthday? She walked into the kitchen and suddenly the lights went on and her whole family was standing there screaming "Happy Birthday".

Bay blinked and smiled. She saw balloons, loads of them and they were black. Trust Daphne to know that was her favorite color. There was also a big banner and a birthday cake with 18 candles waiting to be lit. John and Kathryn were standing behind the island, together with Daphne, Regina and Angelo.

Kathryn had made her the favorite peanut butter pancakes and after they had lit the candles and sung happy birthday, John handed her a small turquoise box.

"This is your birthday present. It's from all of us, each one contributed their share."

Bay opened the box and saw a key on a Tiffany key ring inside it. She took it out and looked at it.

"What is it for? It doesn't look like a car key."

Kathryn and Regina smiled.

"I think it's time we go for a ride."

Bay got dressed and went back downstairs. John and Angelo were busy loading her art work into various cars to be dropped off at Carlton on the way back. Bay got into the car with John and they drove down the winding roads of Mission Hills towards the town center. After a 10 minute drive John stopped in front of a building that looked like a warehouse and they got out of the car.

After punching the code into the keypad outside the front door they walked in and took the elevator to the last floor. They came to a stop in front of a door.

"Bay, try the key." John said smiling.

Bay did and walked into a sun-filled loft. She gasped when she saw easels and new art supplies inside.

"It's a studio." She was speechless.

"Yes, and it's for you to use. I rented the place and everyone here contributed towards your supplies. Regina drove us all insane saying that they didn't have your favorite brushes here in KC, so we ordered them from an art equipment supplier in New York." John said.

Bay had tears in her eyes. The space had so much light. That had always been her problem working from her garage, the lighting. Here she would be able to choose the colors much better.

"Oh thank you, thank you." She hugged every one of them.

"My Porsche will finally be back in its rightful place." John said smiling.

She wished she could stay there the whole day, but she had to go and take care of her pieces for the exhibition. She drove the short distance to Carlton with John and Angelo with Regina and Kathryn trailing behind them.

Once she arrived and unloaded all the paintings she spent the next three hours unpacking them and setting them up. She had a last look at them and then turned to leave when she ran into Emmett. He was holding a big bouquet of roses.

"Happy birthday." He signed

"Thank you Emmett. What a nice surprise!"

"Can I take you out for lunch?"

"Sure, I would love that."

They went to Bay's favorite Italian restaurant and Emmett treated her to lunch. Bay looked at her watch and saw that it was past 3.

"We need to go, the exhibition starts at 4." She signed.

Emmett nodded and they got into her car and drove back to the school. People were starting to arrive and they made their way into the main corridor, where the paintings where displayed on easels.

"There's good stuff here Emmett."

"Yes, but none as good as yours."

For the next three hours Bay mingled and spent time with her family and class mates. She ran into Mr. Weiss at one point.

"Bay, your stuff is stunning. How do you find the time?"

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it. I find the time by not doing anything else but study and paint."

"That sounds awful for someone in the senior year."

Bay looked at him with a pained expression in her eyes.

"Yes, well it's less awful than other things."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He looked over her shoulder.

"My friend from the Kansas University Arts Program has arrived. Let me go and say hello and give him a tour, then I'll introduce you"

He left and Bay's stomach turned into knots. Now was the moment of truth, the moment that would decide her future.

She spent the next hour nervously trailing Mr. Weiss and his friend, who seemed to be spending an awful long time looking at her work. She saw him discussing her pieces with her counselor and he didn't smile once. Bay wanted to hide in a hole and cry.

Finally she saw Mr. Weiss scanning the room in search of her. He made eye contact and walked over.

"Bay, let me introduce you to my good friend Mr. Rogers."

"I'm very pleased to meet you." Bay said shyly extending her hand.

"Bay Kennish, it's a pleasure. I've been looking closely at your work."

"Thank you Sir, what do you think?"

"What do I think? I think I haven't seen that much talent in a long time. You have a bright future ahead. I'm back in the office tomorrow and I will initiate the paperwork for a full scholarship. You should hear from us soon. I hope no other University will snatch you up before us."

Bay broke out into a huge smile.

"Oh my God, thank you. Thank you so much!"

Emmett was observing the scene from across the room. He hadn't seen her smile like that since the summer. It made him happy. Finally things seemed to be moving along for her. He saw her exiting through the emergency door and he followed her outside.

It was a cold February evening and Bay wasn't wearing her jacket. She didn't care, she just needed the fresh air. She took a deep breath. Kansas University had liked her work, she couldn't believe it. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned and saw Emmett.

"What did he say?" he signed.

"He's giving me a full scholarship. Oh Emmett, I'm so happy!"

"Congratulations Bay, I knew it. What a great birthday present!"

He hugged her and Bay clung to him. She looked at his face and the brilliant blue eyes and felt the adrenaline of the past hour rushing through her body. She kissed him fiercely.

If Emmett was surprised he didn't show it. He kissed her back and held her closer to him.

Bay broke the kiss and looked at him.

"Let's go somewhere private."

"Yes, but like where? My Mum is home and we can't go to your place either."

"I know just the place!"

Emmett got into Bay's car and she drove to her new studio. She entered the code and by the time they were in the elevator they were kissing again, this time with even more passion.

She fumbled for the key and opened the door. Emmett looked for the light switch and the studio was no longer dark. He looked around in wonder.

"Wow Bay, what is this place?"

"It's a gift from John and the rest of the family."

She took in the loft again and then realized that there were only two wooden chairs. Not even a sofa.

"I guess John was thinking about me not having any romantic moments in here when he bought the furniture." Bay said smiling.

Emmett shrugged and took off his jacket and Bay's. He spread them out on the floor and used his backpack as a make-shift pillow. He lay on top of the jackets and held his hand out to Bay.

She lowered herself and soon they were kissing again. Bay tugged fiercely at Emmett's sweater and he took it off together with the t-shirt he was wearing underneath. Bay did the same and soon Emmett was on top of her, pressing into her middle.

Bay moaned and ran her hands along his back. She heard her phone in the background for the forth time now. Birthday message after birthday message. Emmett ran his hand across her breasts and she lowered her hands to undo his belt. Emmett raised himself to take off his pants and helped Bay out of hers before lying back down.

He looked at her and gasped.

"Bay, you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. You can't begin to imagine the amount of times I have longed for this moment."

He ran his hands reverently across her body and Bay smiled. This was just what she needed to top off this great day.

Emmett tugged at her bra and Bay raised herself. She made a move for Emmett to stop and he looked at her questioning her move.

"Emmett, I need to turn off my phone, it's driving me insane with all the birthday messages."

Emmett smiled and nodded.

"I can't hear it." He winked at her.

She smiled "I know, and soon I won't be hearing it either."

She looked for her purse under the mountain of clothes and found her iPhone. She quickly unlocked the screen and before she could turn it off, she glanced at the messages. There were two birthday messages and a third one from Mary Beth. She hadn't come to the exhibition today. How strange since Travis had been there. She could only make out the words 'Have u seen news there was'

She quickly opened it and read the whole message. She went white and her hands started shaking. Emmett looked at her.

"What is it?" he asked with a worried expression.

Bay showed him the phone.

**Have u seen news there was an ambush on Tys convoy. 6 confirmed dead so far**

Emmett bit his lip and looked at Bay.

"Sorry." He signed

"I need to go"

Bay was already picking up her clothes. She had tears in her eyes and she pressed the button to call Mary Beth. She heard a tearful voice on the other end and her heart almost stopped.

"Bay, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for the past hour."

"I'm sorry MB I was busy. What do you know?"

"I know nothing, but what there is on the news and on the internet."

"Oh God MB, please don't let anything have happened to him."

"Bay, do you think you could ask your father to find out? I know you're no longer with Ty, but please."

"Of course, I'll call you back as soon as I have news."

Bay rushed down the stairs, Emmett trailing behind her. She jumped into her car and drove home as quickly as possible. In her rush to speak to her father, she forgot to drop off Emmett, so he had no choice but to follow her into the Kennish kitchen. John and Kathryn were in the lounge and looked surprised to see Bay running in with tears streaming down her face. She ran up to John and threw her arms around him.

"Bay, what's happening. Why are you crying?"

"Dad, there was an attack on Ty's convoy. There are six casualties already."

She sobbed into his shoulder and John sighted and held her close.

"I'm sorry Bay."

"Dad, can you call someone. Please I need to know, I just need to know."

"Let me try Bay. He disappeared into his study and Bay sat next to Kathryn."

Kahryn put her arm around Bay's shoulders and Bay burrowed her face in her hands, her shoulders heaving with the tears.

Emmett had been silently observing the scene in front of him. His eyes were filled with pain. She would never be fully his again. He could see from her whole body language that she was still in love with Ty. Bay suddenly seemed to remember he was there and looked up.

"Emmett I'm so sorry I forgot to drop you off. Take my car, I'll collect it in the morning."

"It's ok, my mother is on the way to collect me."

Bay heard her phone ring and she quickly got up to get it. It was Mary Beth.

"MB, please tell me you heard something?"

"Nothing, no e-mails, no calls, nothing! I was going to ask you the same thing."

"My father is making calls. Do you want to come over? You can sleep here if you want to."

"I'll be there in half an hour."

Mary Beth was quicker than that and managed to arrive within 20 minutes. She looked pale and her face was puffy. Bay ran up to her and enveloped her into a hug. They were both crying.

Kathryn had left to join John and Bay sat with Mary Beth on the couch holding her hand.

"MB, I still love him. I thought I could be angry enough at him not to love him anymore, but I can't. Why did he do it? Why did he have to hurt me in that way?"

Mary Beth held her hand tighter. This was the moment she had to tell her, even if their friendship would probably be over.

"Bay…he didn't."

"What…what did you say?"

"He didn't cheat."

"He did MB, I saw it with my own eyes, Aida's pink panties, the condom."

"They weren't Aida's"

"How would you know?" Bay looked at her in horror.

"Because he told me."

Mary Beth started crying again and related the whole story with Ty's friend and how Ty had lent him his single room to say goodbye to his girlfriend and how he'd found the panties and the condom after he'd done the laundry.

Bay looked white as a sheet.

"And you never thought of telling me?"

"I promised him Bay. He didn't want to hurt you by dying. He knew at that time that he was being sent to the frontlines for 14 months."

"You never told me?"

Bay was confused and got up to pace the living room. She was angry and sad at the same time.

"Bay, whenever he writes to me he asks about you. He loves you so much."

"I'm so angry at you Mary Beth."

"I know and you can't imagine how I've been feeling for the past 6 months. Keeping this secret has been one of the hardest things I've had to do in my whole life."

Bay looked out of the window and managed a tiny smile.

"He didn't cheat?"

"No."

She turned serious again.

"Why would he choose the one lie in the world that would hurt me the most?"

"Because he wanted you to forget about him. He said he tried to break up with you during the party."

"He did and I was having none of it."

"When he saw the panties he used that. I know he feels terrible about it Bay."

Bay sat back down opposite Mary Beth and started sobbing again.

"What if he's dead? What if I never see him again?"

"I don't know."

"Mary Beth I can't believe you would keep it from me. Does Travis know?"

"No, he doesn't. Will you be able to forgive me?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Yes, if it was another day. I'm so angry at you, but right now I need you here. You love him as well."

"I do."

They spent the next three hours in anguish. Bay would go and see John once in a while, but every time he would shake his head.

At 2 AM the phone rang. Mary Beth and Bay looked up in horror and ran into John's studio.

He picked up the line and listened to the other end.

"I see. That's unfortunate. Thank you for calling."

He looked up at the anguished faces in front of him and his heart went out to them. Bay looked at him trembling.

"He didn't make it, right?" She said in a small whisper.

John walked up to her and took her in his arms.

_**Here we go. This time I'm ending it with a cliffhanger. Hope you liked the story and thanks again for the reviews. I'll update as soon as I can.**_


	22. Forgiveness?

"I don't know Bay. He's unaccounted for."

Bay looked up at him, her eyes the size of saucers.

"So, he could be alive?"

"He's officially missing in action."

"So he's alive?"

"No, Bay it doesn't mean he's alive. It means that he's not one of the bodies and it also means he's not accounted for."

"I know he's alive."

John looked at Bay and sighted.

"Bay…it was a big attack. That place is a jungle. The Commander didn't sound hopeful."

"But there's no body so for now I'll think he's alive."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up."

Bay looked at Mary Beth and smiled at her for the first time since she had heard about her secret. Mary Beth managed a weak smile, but coming from a military family and having lost her father and her brother as a result, she couldn't quite find much enthusiasm. When she thought of Justin's stories about Kabul and the violence and hatred that reigned the streets she could see Ty being killed as soon as he was found by an insurgent if he had not been captured and murdered already.

"Bay, I'm heading home."

"Don't you want to stay, it's late."

"No I don't, you need to process our conversation and the news about Ty by yourself. Tomorrow, if you still want to talk to me, you can call me."

Once she had left Bay sat down with John and Kathryn and started crying again. Kathryn put her arm around her.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

"He's an asshole. If he makes it out alive I'll tell him that. He lied about the cheating."

Kathryn looked at John and they exchanged a puzzled look.

"What do you mean, lied?" John asked.

"He knew he was going to be in the frontline and was afraid of being killed, so he made up the cheating story so that I would get on with my life."

"And you know this how?" Kathryn asked.

"Because he told Mary Beth and made her keep the secret. If this hadn't happened, she never would have told me. I'm going to bed."

Bay left and John and Kathryn sat for another five minutes.

"John, he did a horrible thing, didn't he?"

"Did he? In the end he wanted to protect her. I can't be angry at him for that. I'm beginning to think he's a good guy, you know."

"But all the pain he put her through…"

"Yes and on the other hand she's doing great at school and managed to get a scholarship. Would she have done that if she'd been writing e-mails and trying to get him on Skype the whole day long?"

"I guess not."

"I just hope that for the sake of all of us he never tells her he turned down my help to get him out of his deployment."

John kissed Kathryn and they went to bed.

Bay was off school for the following week and spent six days of it locked in her bedroom crying. John would call twice a day and still no news. She wanted so much to believe he was alive, but with every day that passed her hope dwindled. She'd read all she could about the war over there and the more she read about the Taliban, the hatred and the fighting, the more depressed she got.

She hardly ate and didn't shower and Kathryn was worried. She'd only talk to her, John and Mary Beth and refused to see Daphne, Emmett, Regina or Angelo. John tried to re-assure Kathryn as much as he could, telling her Bay was grieving and the sooner she did it the better.

On Friday the letter from the University of Kansas with the scholarship details arrived, but not even that could cheer Bay up.

She lay in bed and thought about her relationship with Mary Beth. She had been so angry in the beginning; she never wanted to speak to her again. After two days however, she realized that MB was the only one who understood the pain she was going through and she felt the need to reach out to her. Instead of growing apart they had grown closer, something that Bay would never have thought was possible.

As for Ty Bay felt so many conflicting emotions. Sometimes she just wanted to abuse him and scream at him for doing what he did. Then she thought that she may never have the opportunity to abuse him at all and she would feel such a big pain that her whole body would ache.

Bay turned on the laptop again and typed into the Google search box "American soldiers MIA Kabul". She hit the "past 24 hours" button. Nothing. She did his search every hour as if Google would tell her if Ty was still alive.

At midnight she finally managed to fall asleep. She was woken up three hours later by the ringing phone. She blinked and looked at the clock, it was 3 AM. She was filled by a sense of dread and ran to her parent's bedroom. John was holding the phone to his ear sleepily and mumbling yes and no and thank you very much.

He hung-up the phone and rubbed his eyes. Kathryn and Bay were staring at him, both with a look of horror on their faces.

"They found him. He's alive, but injured. I don't know to what extend. He's being prepared for evacuation to the General Leonard Wood Army Hospital in Missouri."

Bay collapsed onto the floor.

"He's alive."

Kathryn smiled at John.

"He is."

John urged caution.

"Bay, he's injured. It might be serious."

"Yes, but for now he's alive. When is he arriving?"

"They estimate that he'll be here tomorrow evening."

"We have to go."

"Bay…."

"No Dad! We have to go! It's only 4 hours away."

"Ok, ok, sweetheart. We'll call the hospital tomorrow evening and if he's there we'll leave early on Sunday."

"I need to call MB. Thank you Dad, thank you!"

Bay went back to her room and called Mary Beth. She answered with a sleepy and panicked voice after four rings.

"Bay…"

"He's alive MB, he's alive. They're evacuating him to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri. He's injured, but I don't know how badly. He'll be here tomorrow evening."

"Oh Bay, I'm so happy. Thank you for letting me know."

"We're calling the hospital tomorrow and if he's there we're leaving on Sunday. Do you want to come?"

"Yes please."

Bay felt like a new person when she woke-up the following day. She showered for the first time in days, shaved and even put on some make-up. She was feeling human again. It was not that she wanted to look pretty for Ty, she still wanted him to go to hell, but it was nice to feel clean again.

Regina and Angelo came by soon and Daphne and Bay were sitting in the kitchen having breakfast. They smiled when they saw them.

"Regina, Angelo, he's alive."

"I know baby, I know. I'm happy for all of us." Regina said.

"I can't wait to call the hospital."

The day went by in a blur for Bay. At 6 PM John came home.

"Dad, where've you been? Did you call the hospital?"

"I went to the office Bay."

"On a Saturday?"

"Yes, I needed to make some calls. His former Commander here in KC will call me as soon as he knows something."

"Why don't you call the hospital?" Bay whined.

"Bay, this is the US Military. You don't just call hospitals if you're not a family member. There's protocol to be followed and I'm already cutting through a lot of red tape."

"Can't we just go there?"

"No we can't, we have to wait."

They had to wait another four hours until John's cell phone rang. Bay was bouncing from one leg to the other while John was on the phone. It was a long call. He finally hung up and smiled at Bay.

"He's here and out of surgery. His leg was broken in three places and he had a severe case of hypothermia and a lot of cuts and bruises. But he's stable."

Bay jumped into John's arms.

"The Commander is pulling some strings to get us visitation rights as it seems that there is no one else to contact."

"So we leave tomorrow?"

"Yes, we leave tomorrow morning."

Bay went to call Mary Beth who was relieved beyond words and asked her if she could stay with Bay.

She arrived shortly after and settled in Bay's room. They spent the whole night talking and only managed about three hours sleep.

At 7 AM the following morning John drove off with Bay and Mary Beth in the car. Bay chatted nervously the entire trip and John thought his head would explode by the time they arrived at the hospital.

It took them 10 minutes to clear security at the barrier and Bay began to understand what John had said about this being no regular hospital.

When they arrived at the reception area it took another 15 minutes and various phone calls until they were sent upstairs to the third floor. John and Mary Beth sat in the little waiting area, while Bay went inside the room. She saw two occupied beds and spotted Ty immediately. He had his eyes closed and looked so thin. His hair was longer and matted and his leg was immobilized into a very complicated contraption which was secured to the ceiling. His left arm and his head were bandaged.

Bay had wanted to slap him so badly, but when she saw him in that bed her heart went out to him. She slowly made her way over to the bed and silently pulled up a chair and sat next to his uninjured arm. She carefully took his hand in hers.

He stirred and opened his eyes. He tried to focus on her, but then closed his eyes again. Bay squeezed his hand and he opened his eyes again.

"Bay?" his voice sounded hoarse.

"Yes, it's me."

"I thought I was hallucinating."

"No, I'm really here."

Ty squeezed her hand.

"I'm in pain…my leg."

"I hate you! I want to slap you, but I can't find a place that is not bandaged." Bay had tears streaming down her face.

"Bay…I…I didn't" He closed his eyes again.

"I know…and I still hate you."

"Mary-Beth"

"Yes"

"I'm sorry. Please stop crying." He whispered. His voice was filled with exhaustion.

Bay squeezed her eyes tightly shut and even more tears ran down her face.

"You're sorry? You're sorry? That's what you're telling me? Ty, do you have any idea the hell I've been through since I found out about your cheating? And now I find out it was a lie. You knew, you knew that it was the one thing that would hurt me most, the one thing that would push me away."

"Yes. I didn't want…it just happened…you wouldn't hear." Ty croaked

"Why didn't you tell me they had cancelled Germany."

"Didn't want…worry."

"I loved you Ty, how could you?"

Ty squeezed her hand again.

"I love you…so much."

Then he closed his eyes. Bay heard the door open and a nurse came in.

"Miss, you need to leave now. He's heavily sedated and needs rest."

"When can I come back?"

"In a couple of hours."

Bay went outside and found Mary Beth and John. Mary Beth got up when she saw her.

"Bay, how is he?"

"He's injured. His leg is hanging from the ceiling and he's all bandaged up."

"Did he speak? Did he recognize you?"

"He sure did. I gave him a piece of my mind."

Bay was still crying.

"He's sleeping now. We can come back in a few hours."

"Let's have lunch then. Bay, you know we have to get back today, right? You have exams next week." John said.

"Can I come back on Friday?"

"We'll see."

They went for lunch although Bay could hardly manage to eat anything. She kept looking at her watch. What were a few hours anyway? Was it two, three? Could she go back now? How could she be so conflicted anyway? Ty had hurt her so badly, yet she felt an unexplained yearning to be close to him.

"Can we go back to the hospital?" She asked John.

"Bay, it's not even been two hours."

"I need to be there."

"Ok then, let's go. I'll try and speak to a Doctor and see what his prognosis is."

"Thank you Dad.'

They went back to the hospital and saw the Doctor just leaving Ty's room as they left the elevator. John walked up to him.

"Doctor, can I have a word?"

The man stopped in his tracks.

"Senator Kennish I presume?"

"Yes Sir, very pleased to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, what can I do for you?"

Bay had walked up to them and was looking at the doctor worriedly.

"Could you give me an update on Private Mendoza? He has no family, we're the closest there is."

"Yes, so I hear. Private Mendoza had a fracture in three places on his right leg. While it was no complicated fracture, because there were three we had to operate and immobilize him. Further he was suffering from severe hypothermia and we managed to save most of his toes and fingers, although we had to amputate two toes. He has moderate to severe lacerations on his left arm and across his chest and a head wound."

Bay closed her eyes in pain.

"Thank you Doctor, what are we talking in terms of recovery?" John asked.

"If all goes well he should make a full recovery physically. Psychologically it's too early to tell. I'm not authorized to disclose the exact happenings of his rescue. He will need to stay here for approximately 4 to 6 weeks, after which he could go home and start treatment as an outside patient. I understand that he has no permanent home address so we will work on getting him into one of the Veteran's Hospitals until he's fully recovered. Unfortunately the hospitals are all bursting at the seams with returning injured soldiers."

Bay grasped John's arm forcefully.

"Dad, he has to stay with us. We can't have him sent somewhere in the country to a Veteran's Hospital. You haven't seen him. It will destroy him."

John closed his eyes and scratched his head.

"Would that be an option Doctor? I would need to discuss it with my wife first of course."

"Yes, of course. It would help his recovery to be in a home environment. What exactly is your relationship to the patient?"

"I'm his ex-girlfriend." Bay spoke this time.

"Ex-girlfriend? That's something we don't get too often. Will you be visiting him from Kansas City?"

"I'll come every weekend."

She could feel John wince next to her.

"Can I see him now?"

"Yes, but he needs a lot of rest. Next week he should be better if all goes well. We're keeping him heavily sedated. He's going to be in a lot of pain for a few days."

"Thank you for your time Doctor." John said and shook his hand.

"It's good to see people looking out for these young guys. They're teenagers when they go out there and have to grow up so quickly."

The Doctor left and Bay went into Ty's room again with Mary Beth and John. She sat on the chair again and took Ty's hand. He opened his eyes and blinked trying to focus again.

"Bay, I thought you'd left."

"No, I'm here. Mary Beth is here as well and my Dad."

Ty tried to move his head but it was too painful and he winced. Mary Beth and John stepped closer into his range of view.

"Ty, don't move, you're in a lot of pain. We spoke to the Doctor and you'll be ok. It'll take time, but you'll be ok." Mary Beth said.

Ty tried to smile.

"Hi MB, hi Sir."

"Please call me John. I'll keep a close eye on what's happening, I have pulled some strings so that I can be in the loop."

"Thank you Sir, ehh, John."

Bay looked at Mary Beth and her father.

"Could you give us a couple of minutes?"

They nodded and left the room.

"Thank you for coming Bay." Ty was slurring his words slightly.

"How could I not?" Bay closed her eyes in pain at seeing him like this.

"You'll never forgive me."

"No, I probably won't, but I will do everything I can to make sure you recover."

"Thank you."

"I'll need to leave soon, they don't let me stay for too long. I have exams next week, but I'll be back on Friday."

"Ok"

The nurse came in again and beckoned for Bay to leave. She did and soon she was in the car heading back to KC with John and Mary Beth. She looked out the window at the Missouri landscape and thought about the time she had driven with Ty to St. Louis to see Abby. He had shared his story about his father with her, then they had pulled over. When did things get to be so complicated? She was exhausted. She closed her eyes and fell asleep.

_**Thank you for your reviews. It means a lot to me that you like the story. This was a hard chapter to write. I hope I did them justice. Looking forward to your feedback.**_


	23. Angelo tries to help

Bay sat through all her exams the following week. It was a good thing that she had studied so much at the beginning of the school year, as she had done nothing but worry about Ty missing in the week that had been set aside for exam preparation. On Thursday she signed her name on the last paper and handed it in. She made her way through the Carlton corridor to her car. She was going to drive to Regina's to sort out some details with Angelo.

She was opening her door and about to get into the car when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Emmett.

"Hey" he signed.

"Hi Emmett, I hardly saw you last week."

"Yes, I've done my best to avoid you."

Bay closed her eyes. This was complicated.

"How did the exams go?" he asked.

"They went well. I didn't get any studying done last week, but I knew all the topics by heart."

"How's Ty?"

"He's hanging in there. I've talked to him on the phone once or twice, but he's mostly in and out of it due to the pain."

"Are you going to visit him again?"

"Yes, I'm heading out tomorrow after school."

Emmett looked at her with eyes full of pain.

"Bay, about the other night…"

"It was a mistake Emmett."

"Not for me it wasn't. It was the most wonderful thing that happened in my entire life"

"Emmett, I can't. It was a combination of things that lead to us doing what we did. But I can't, what you did…it still hurts."

Emmett was angry now.

"What I did was stupid and a long time ago. I was hoping we could move past it. Ty did the same six months ago and yet you're willing to drive 4 hours every weekend to see him. Why can you forgive him and not me?"

Bay frowned but looked more anguished than angry.

"Bloody hell Emmett, this is not a competition of who cheated on me first."

"Sorry, that's not what I meant."

"He didn't cheat on me, Emmett."

"He didn't? I don't understand."

"No it's a long story. What he did might be worse than cheating, it might not be. I don't know, I'm still trying to figure it out."

"But you're willing to take him back."

"No I'm not. Right now it's not about that, it's about him getting back on his feet."

"So there could still be a chance for us?"

"Emmett, right now I need to be by myself. I want to help Ty in his recovery and he'll be staying at my parent's house after he gets discharged."

"He's what?" Emmett looked horrified.

"He doesn't have another place to go to Emmett and I'm forever thankful for my father for making this happen. But then, you see, there's just no place for you in my life right now."

"Whatever." Emmett made a gesture in exasperation and walked away.

Bay sighed and got in the car. She hoped that Angelo was still at home. She rang the doorbell and he opened the door.

"Bay, ma chere, is nice to see you! Ca va?"

"Ca va bien!" Bay said and smiled "Can we switch to English please."

"Sure thing. I need to leave in 10 minutes, how're we doing it tomorrow?"

"Can you take the evening off? Could we leave after school?"

"I think so; I can ask Daphne to lend a hand. Is there a hotel next to the hospital?"

"Yes, there's a Days Inn next to it."

"Ok, so let me do a reservation for two nights, I'll drive over to St. Louis during the day to see Abby and I'll meet you back for diner in the evening."

Bay beamed at him.

"Tres bien! Merci." She said.

"C'est un plaisir!"

Bay drove back home and packed her overnight bag. She was so excited that she babbled all the way through diner. John and Regina smiled at each other. As much as they thought that this situation was incredibly complicated, they were happy to have their Bay back from the land of darkness.

The next day after school Bay drove over to Regina's and soon she was in a car with Angelo for their little road trip. They drove silently for the first 45 minutes, Bay looking wistfully out of the window.

"Bay?" She heard Angelo's voice in the distance and turned towards him.

"Yes."

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know. You know what he did to me."

"Yes, I did the same."

Bay looked up in surprise.

"What do you mean, you did the same?"

"I lied to myself and to others to protect someone I loved. Abby."

"It's not the same. She didn't feel the pain." Bay whispered.

"Didn't she? How do you know Bay? I ripped her away from her home, just to give her back as if she was used goods."

"You did it so she could have a better life."

"Yes, and so did Ty."

"You didn't make her angry. You didn't lie to her."

"No, I didn't because she is an infant. It doesn't mean that one day she won't feel exactly how you feel now. Once she realizes how different her life is with two dads and the other life she could have led with Regina and me. But I did it because I love her and I'm sure Ty loves you as well."

Bay looked out of the window again.

"I remember driving this road with Ty when I went to see Abby for the first time."

Angelo smiled.

"When you almost didn't meet her, because you decided to stop and spend time with your boyfriend?"

"Angelo!" Bay was horrified.

"Bay, I'm not stupid. I saw you two get out of the truck and basically getting dressed on the way to see me."

"And you never said anything?"

"It's not for me to judge Bay, you're 18. Regina and I just want you not to get hurt."

Bay placed her hand in front of her mouth. She was mortified.

"You and Regina discuss my sex life?"

Angelo laughed loudly.

"We certainly do not! We have better things to do! The only thing we were worried about was a possible pregnancy."

"Well, I'm not pregnant!" Bay said blushing furiously.

"And thank God for that!"

They were silent for another half hour, Bay trying to process what Angelo had told her.

"I'm not ready to forgive him." Bay said after a while.

"No, you're not, but maybe one day you will and being a friend to him right now is what he needs the most. Friendship is the basis for everything Bay. No successful relationship will withstand if there isn't friendship."

"Of all the things he could've said and done…"

"Bay, you're in high-school and when you look at him you see him as an adult. You forget that he's barely out of high-school himself. Being 21 is not mature for a man. He was ripped out of everything he knew to be sent to the most lawless place on earth and had to grow up in a matter of months. Don't expect only rational decisions."

"Why are you defending him? You hardly know him."

"I'm not defending him, I'm trying to help you through whatever you're going through and try to make you understand that horrible things can happen."

Bay was silent again.

"This is nice." She looked at Angelo.

"It is."

"I just realized that I never really spent time alone with you."

"Yes and it's never too late to start doing that."

"We never really talked like we did now."

"No"

"You're a good friend Angelo, and a good second Dad."

Angelo had tears in his eyes. He wiped them with his sleeve."

"Do you want me to drive for a bit?" Bay asked.

"Yes, let's switch."

They arrived at the hotel past 10 at night as they had stopped for diner on the way. Bay went to bed and couldn't sleep, She was trying to process what Angelo had told her. She didn't feel like her old self yet, but she felt better.

The next day she woke-up early and after breakfast Angelo dropped her at the hospital. He stayed with her while she was being cleared for visitation, but thanks to John the process was relatively painless. When she got upstairs she walked into the nurse. She smiled at Bay.

"He's been asking for you in his sleep. Bay, right?"

"Yes."

"He's still sleeping. I'll let you in if you promise not to wake him up."

"Yes, thank you, I promise. I brought school work with me." She held up her books.

"Ok then."

Bay walked into the room and looked at Ty. The other bed was empty. He was sleeping and Bay thought he looked much better than a week ago. They must have washed and trimmed his hair and his cheekbones were less sunken.

She quietly settled on the other bed and worked for an hour through her Algebra course work.

After a while she heard him stir. He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling.

"Ty?"

He turned his head and saw her. He smiled.

"Bay! You're here."

"Your voice is back. How's the pain?"

"Dreadful, they have to drug me up like a horse. I feel like they've put me through a meat grinder. All I do is sleep all day."

She moved off the bed and pulled the chair next to his. He reached for her hand and she took it.

"Ty…how did? What happened?"

She saw a shadow moving across his eyes.

"Bay, I can't. Not just yet."

"Ok"

He went silent and Bay just sat and stroked his hand. They stayed like that for half an hour. Bay saw that he had tears in his eyes.

"About what happened…Bay, I'm…"

"Shhhh Ty, I don't want to talk about it. I'm trying to process everything. It's hard."

"I know."

"But I'm here."

"Yes"

"Did the Doctor say anything?"

"He says I might get discharged in 3 weeks. After that I don't know."

"Ty, he didn't tell you we're taking you home with us?"

Ty looked at her surprised.

"Home with you? To your parents' house?"

"Yes, my Dad told the Doctor already."

"I had no idea. Are you sure you want me there?"

"I don't know. The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to see you back on your feet."

"Oh Bay, thank you. Maybe someday we…"

Bay interrupted him.

"Ty, don't please. I'm not ready to talk about it just yet."

"Ok."

"Can we try and be friends?"

"I'd love that."

_**Over a 100 reviews on both stories! You are the best readers ever. Thank you so much. I hope that I'm going well with this, the whole thing with the fake cheating is so complex and I wish the series had not ended like that. If you have any suggestions for writing this another way let me know. This will be the last update for a while as I will be busy for the next couple of days. I have been asked about Life of Bay and I will try and update soon, the problem is that when I go into story mode I can only do one at a time. The other thing is the lack of Daphne in this story. I don't find her very inspiring and I decided to give her a storyline in Life of Bay. This one I want to focus on Bay and Ty.**_


	24. Being honest

The Nurse came in and sent Bay away for an hour to get Ty cleaned up and then the Doctor came to do his rounds and it was almost two hours before Bay was allowed back in, by which time Ty looked exhausted.

"You look much better." She said.

"Yes, I was in and out last week. I couldn't really remember if you'd really been here or if I had dreamt it."

"I'll try and come every weekend."

"I'd love that, but if it doesn't work out don't worry. I don't want you to drive that distance by yourself. It's enough that one of us got hurt."

"I came with John last time, this weekend Angelo came. Maybe Daphne or MB will come with me next weekend."

"Where's Angelo?"

"He went to see Abby in St. Louis."

"Abby is in St. Louis? Why?"

"Oh Ty, there's so much you don't know."

"Tell me."

She looked at him and could see his eyes dropping.

"How about you have a little nap and I'll fill you in after you wake up?"

"Ok."

Bay held his hand until he was asleep and then went in search of something to eat. She found the cafeteria on the first floor and bought a sandwich and a juice. She went back upstairs with the food and sat on the extra bed. After she had eaten she lay on the bed and fell asleep for an hour as well.

After Ty had woken up she sat back on her chair and filled him in on everything that had happened since he left. She told him about Daphne's mandatory community work, Angelo's decision to hand back Abby, Toby and Nikki eloping and about her scholarship. Ty let her do all the talking and every time she thought that she lost him he would ask one or the other question which reassured her that he was taking it all in.

The afternoon passed quickly and at 6 PM the nurse came to tell Bay she had to leave. Bay kissed Ty on the jaw and promised him that she'd come back tomorrow. She followed the nurse out and didn't see Ty raise his hand and placing it where she'd kissed him.

She called Angelo one she'd arrived downstairs and he was just 30 minutes away so she decided to walk back to the hotel and have a shower. They met up for diner shortly after. Once they had sat down in the restaurant and ordered their food Angelo took her hand in his.

"You look better Bay."

"Yes, I had a good day."

"How is he?"

"He's better. I didn't want to talk about the whole thing so we talked about everything else."

"That's good. You know you can't avoid if forever, right?"

"Yes, maybe next week. I need to think."

"Did he say anything about what happened over there?"

"No, he won't talk about it."

"He might be left with some psychological issues, you do know that."

"Yes, I do. How'd it go with little Abby?"

"It went well, I managed to spend pretty much the whole day with her and I took her down to the park for a bit."

"That sounds good."

"I try not to be alone with her for too long as she misses her Dads."

"She's still small and she needs to get used to you. If you keep it up everything will work out in the end."

"I hope so."

Bay was exhausted after diner and excused herself to go to bed while Angelo had a drink at the hotel bar. She lay down and flicked through the TV channels trying to find something to watch, but her head was exploding. She didn't understand her conflicted feelings whenever she thought about what Ty did and as much as she tried she could not think about anything else.

How was it possible that he had been capable of hurting her so much, yet she was drawn to his side whenever she could? Was Angelo right? Was her father right? Was she really seen as that much of a child that people felt forced to lie to her in order to protect her?

She tossed and turned for another hour and finally managed to fall asleep.

Ty lay in his hospital bed and couldn't sleep. The pain was bad today, his leg was killing him as the Doctors had started to reduce the pain killers slowly. He didn't really want to sleep and be plagued by nightmare after nightmare, the insurgent with the gun held to his head, the shots fired, the blood, all that blood…!

He shook his head and tried to get the images out but all he did was create more pain in his leg. He thought about Bay and it caused him even more pain than his leg. How could he have hurt her so much, how could he have been such a coward? When he saw those panties falling from between the sheets he had grasped that lie like a lifeline. It had seemed so easy at the time instead of some complicated break-up talk and having to listen and probably cave to Bay's arguments.

For the past six months he had been punishing himself for having lied to her, not only having lied, but using the lie that would hurt her most. He thought about the time they had their picnic, how Bay had confided in him about the pain caused by Emmett's and the other guy's cheating. How she had sworn that she would never cheat on him. Then he thought about his stupid act of making her jump off the tower because of his jealousy. How had he been able to cause her so much pain when he loved her so much?

Ultimately he had done it to protect her, to have her get on with her life and save her from the pain of him dying in combat. It had been so close, he saw the gun again and the blood, all that blood.

He broke out in cold sweat, his heart was pounding furiously. The machines started beeping and a short while later a male Nurse came in. He looked at the monitors and pressed a few buttons. The noise stopped. He looked at Ty.

"Nightmare again?" He asked.

"Not really, I don't really need to sleep for this to happen to me." Ty replied tiredly.

"Sorry to hear that. Try to get some rest, Private."

Ty closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

The next morning Bay met with Angelo for breakfast. She looked pale and had shadows under her eyes.

"Bad night?" Angelo asked.

"Yes. I hardly slept."

"So, are you off to see Ty again?"

"Yes. You?"

"I'm seeing Abby in the morning, then they're taking her to a party in the afternoon, so I'll be here at lunch time."

"Can you meet me at the hospital? Do we need to leave at lunch time or can I stay for the afternoon?"

"We should leave around 5, so you can stay."

"Thanks Angelo."

Angelo dropped Bay off at the gate and she made her way up to Ty's room. The door was open so she walked right in. Ty was resting with his eyes closed. He opened them when he saw steps approaching. He smiled when he saw her.

"Bay…!"

Her heart melted when she saw his face light up.

"Ty. You look exhausted."

"Yes, so do you!"

"I didn't sleep that well. This…this thing! It's hard for me."

"For me too."

Bay took his hand. They were silent for a long time. Ty broke the silence.

"Bay…I know you don't want to talk about us. I…I understand, but there's one thing I want you to know…I love you. I loved you three years ago and I never stopped loving you since then."

Bay sighted and had tears in her eyes. She shook her head.

"Ty, I think I love you too, as much as I don't want to. I just can't forgive you right now."

Ty grasped her hand tighter and Bay saw the pain in his eyes.

"I am so sorry and I want to punish myself so badly for what I did to you."

"Yes, I believe you are. Ty, whatever happens with us…and I don't know what will; you need to promise me that we'll always be honest with each other. No more lies from now on."

"I promise."

"So do I."

They managed to smile at each other. Ty turned serious again.

"Bay, before we change the subject, I just want you to know that nothing happened with anyone over there…I just think it's important that you know that."

Bay nodded and looked away.

"Ty…I…I nearly slept with Emmett once."

Bay looked at Ty and saw him take a deep breath. He closed his eyes, then looked at Bay. When she saw the renewed pain in his eyes she could have slapped herself for telling him.

"Okay" He said with a choked-up voice. Bay was silent.

He took another deep breath.

"I feel like I was punched in the belly. There's nothing I can say. I guess I deserved that."

Bay grasped his hand again.

"Please don't say that Ty. Please don't say you deserved that. You said we needed to be honest with each other and I was afraid that if I didn't tell you now I would never do. It wasn't meant as a punishment."

"Are you seeing him?"

"No, I was never seeing him. It was a mistake. I was in so much pain and then I had a good day and it happened. I wasn't thinking clearly…then I got the message…the message about you and I ran before things could go any further."

"It's always Emmett isn't it?" Ty sighed.

"No Ty, it's not. It just happened. I have no feelings for him. I told him that you're staying with us and that there's no space for him in my life right now. Not even as a friend."

"Ok. I can't really say anything, can I?"

Bay smiled.

"No, you can't."

They spent the rest of the morning talking about trivial things to lighten the mood. The Nurse came back after one hour and ordered Bay out so that Ty could have some rest. She was allowed back after lunch and Angelo called and also came to see Ty for a little bit. At five Bay kissed Ty on the cheek and promised to be back the following weekend.

_**I am sorry it took me so long to update. My vacation is over, back to work and I was also not very inspired. I hope you like the chapter. I personally don't feel it's one of my strongest ones. Please review.**_


	25. Family

Ty closed his eyes once Bay had left and thought about what she told him. It hurt him physically that she had been with Emmett, although not fully according to her. He was angry at Bay and he knew that he shouldn't be. Would he feel different if it had been someone else? He didn't know.

He thought back to the toast at the wedding reception and the look that Emmett gave Bay, which had ultimately driven him to his deplorable actions after. He had always been so sure that she would go back to him but to see it actually happening was killing him. She had assured him that they were not together and that she didn't have any feelings for Emmett, but then, how could she have nearly slept with him. What did "nearly" slept with even mean? He kept imagining two naked bodies entangled and he grasped the bedcovers in fury.

Ultimately he knew it was caused by his actions and that Bay wouldn't have fallen into Emmett's arms had he been honest with her. Or would she have? Where was it going from here. He was supposed to move into her house in three weeks and he vowed to himself that he would do everything in his power to win her back.

Bay got home from school the next day and went straight to her room. She picked up the phone for the 10th time that day and looked at the number scrawled on a piece of paper she held in her hand. Was this a good idea? Probably not. Most likely it was the worse idea ever. Who was she to be meddling in matters that had long been set to rest? On the other hand, if she didn't would anyone else ever do it?

She dialed the number. It rang and rang and rang. Finally a woman answered. Bay's hand shook and she hung-up the phone. She looked at it again. Bay, make up your mind, she thought. She dialed the number once more and took a deep breath. The same voice answered the phone on the second ring sounding unnerved.

"He-Hello…" Bay stuttered.

"Who is this?" The voice on the other side sounded younger than Bay had expected.

"This is Bay Kennish speaking…I'm looking to speak with Mr. Raul Mendosa."

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Is this a joke?" Bay heard the female voice again.

Bay's hand shook and she just wanted to hang-up the phone again.

"I'm…I'm sorry, I must have the wrong number." She stuttered again.

"Raul Mendosa was my father. He and my mother died two years ago in a car accident."

Bay was mortified.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm his son's…girlfriend." Bay didn't know how else to identify herself.

There was a gasp at the other end.

"Listen lady, I don't know what you're talking about, but Marco is 14 and I assure you that he doesn't have a girlfriend."

Bay wanted to find a hole to crawl into. She knew that this was a mistake.

"Not Marco…Ty."

There was another long pause at the end.

"Who's Ty?" The woman's voice shook a bit.

"Listen, I'm really sorry to have called. I shouldn't have. This is none of my business."

Bay was ready to hang up the phone.

"Who's Ty?"

Bay took a deep breath.

"He's his son from his first marriage."

There was an even longer pause this time, then Bay heard the woman's trembling voice.

"I knew it. I knew it all along."

"Sorry?" Bay asked

"When I was 10 I heard a huge argument between my parents about someone I thought was called Ty. My father kept saying that he wanted him to come and live with us and my mother was crying. That night she nearly overdosed on pills."

"Oh no!" That was the only thing Bay was able to say.

"Where is he?"

"He was injured in Afghanistan. He's currently in an Army Hospital in Missouri. Please…I didn't tell him I would call his family, I'm not sure how he'll take this."

"How old is he?"

"He's 21. Sorry, can I have your name?"

"I'm Sofia…Sofia Mendosa. I'm 20. Listen, I need time to think. Can I call you back?"

Bay gave her the number and said goodbye. She sat on the bed and held her head between her hands. What had she done? What can of worms had she opened? Ty was probably going to kill her. She wanted to talk to his father and it turned out he had died. Now she had shaken up the life of girl her age, who now had to come to terms with having a half-brother she had never officially known about. Plus Sofia was 20, only 1 year younger than Ty. That meant that Ty's father must have left and started a new family straight away. How horrible. And Ty's father had actually wanted him to come and live with them when he was 11.

Bay was interrupted by her phone ringing. She didn't even look at the caller and assumed straight away that it was Sofia. She picked up the phone in a hurry.

"Listen…I'm so sorry. I keep doing these things without thinking and…"

"Bay, what's wrong." Ty said

"Ty! I thought you were someone else."

"Who?" Ty asked suspiciously.

"I can't talk about this right now. Can I call you back?"

"I see…" Ty sounded both defeated and angry.

"No Ty, it's not what you think, please. I just need some time here."

"Fine." Ty hung up the phone.

Great! Bay thought. Now she had managed to upset Ty as well. She couldn't have sounded guiltier on the phone either. He probably thought she was talking about Emmett. But how could she tell him anything without talking to Sofia first? What if she didn't want to ever see her brother? Bay would rather not mention it to Ty at all if that was the case. She couldn't believe the mess she had created for herself and for Ty.

Her phone rang again. This time it was Sofia.

_**I had this idea and I don't know if it works. I'll leave it up to you to decide. Do you want Sofia and Marco to meet Ty or do you want her to say she doesn't want anything to do with him? Let me know and thanks for the reviews!**_


	26. Ty reacts

Bay answered the phone.

"Bay? It's Bay right?" Sofia said on the other side.

"Yes. Hi!"

"Why did you call? I mean, why now?"

"I'm sorry. It was an impulse thing. I don't know myself and I'm afraid of the outcome."

"I want to meet him."

"A-Are you sure..? I don't know if…"

"Yes I'm sure. I'll keep it for myself for the time being and won't mention it to Laura and Marco."

"Laura?"

"She's my sister. She's 16."

"There's another one?" Bay felt faint.

"Yes, that's us. I've been taking care of them ever since our parents died. I work as a Nurse."

"Ok" Bay was thinking furiously "Listen, I need to speak to Ty, I don't know how he'll take this. I can't even guarantee he'll want to see you. He's going to be so angry at me."

"Well, you're his girlfriend so you'll probably know best how he'll react."

"I'm not really his girlfriend. I mean, I was, but I'm not at the moment. It's just really complicated."

"Okayyyy….What are you then?"

"A friend. He's staying here at my parent's house after he's discharged and until he recovers. He doesn't have any family left."

"So how do you want to do this?"

"I don't know. I need to speak to Ty. I'm going to see him again this weekend."

"I'm off this weekend so I could drive over if you want. Otherwise it's really complicated with my schedules."

"I really didn't want to do this over the phone, but if it's the only time you're available I might have to do it."

"Will you call me? I'll give you my cell phone so you don't have to call the house, it might complicate things."

"Sure."

Bay jotted down Sofia's number and said goodbye. She looked at the phone and wanted to cry. What was she going to do and how was she going to break the news to Ty? And now Sofia had given her no choice, but to do it on the phone. She knew he'd be angry, she would be to if it was her.

Just now that they had managed to slowly rekindle their friendship she had to ruin it. Why did she keep getting herself into these things? Well, what was done was done, she had to call Ty. She felt a huge migraine coming as she picked up the phone and dialed his number with trembling hands. The phone rang a long time before he answered with a sleepy voice.

"Bay" he said curtly.

"Ty, I'm so sorry I couldn't talk to you earlier."

"Yes, I'm sure you have valid reasons for that." He said.

Bay was sure that she could hear some sarcasm in his tone.

"I did and I'll explain in a second. What did you want to tell me?"

"Nothing much except that I got out of bed for the first time on crutches. It's not a big deal I guess."

Bay gasped.

"Really, oh I'm so happy for you! How did it go?"

"It was painful and tiring. That's why I was asleep when you called. But I managed."

"Oh Ty, that's excellent news. I can't wait to see you out of bed on Saturday."

"So, you're still coming?"

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. I guess after our conversation earlier today that you might have more important things to do."

Bay took a deep breath.

"Ty, that's actually what I'm calling about. I did a terrible thing."

Ty closed his eyes on the other end. He knew it. She'd gotten back with Emmett again. How could he have been so stupid to think that there was nothing going on with them?

"It's Emmett, right?

"Emmett?" Bay asked confused

"What you want to tell me about."

"No it's not Emmett. Oh Ty, you're going to be so angry at me."

"What is it then?" Ty sounded worried.

Bay was sweating, her head was pounding.

"I…I…I called your family in Tulsa." Her voice was shaking.

These was a pause at the other end. A very long pause.

"Ty…are you still there?"

"You did…WHAT?"

"Ty, oh please, please don't be angry. I don't know why I did it. I googled the number and it just seemed like a good idea and then like a bad idea and then I just did it."

"Bay, who do you think you are to be meddling in my family affairs." Ty said in a raised voice.

Bay was crying now.

"I know, I know and I'm so sorry. Oh please, please forgive me."

"I don't believe it." Ty said "I open up to you about something that I won't talk about with anyone and this is how you repay me?" He was still shouting

Bay just sobbed.

"I knew you were going to be so angry. When you called earlier I thought it was Sofia and then I realized it was you and I didn't know what she would say so I didn't want to tell you about it and then she called back and I hoped she would say she didn't want anything to do with you as it all sunk in and now it turns out she wants to see you and I had to tell you and now you're angry and I feel so bad."

Bay hiccupped and was forced to end her monologue.

There was another pause at the other end.

"Who is Sofia?" Ty said between clenched teeth. The fury in his voice was papable.

"She's your sister. She's 20 and she's a Nurse and she takes care of your other siblings, Marco and Laura. Marco is 14 and Laura is 16 and your father and his wife died in a car accident two years ago. She didn't know about you, she suspected something because when she was 10 she overheard an argument between your father and his wife and him saying that he wanted you to come and live with them but his wife didn't want to and nearly overdosed on pills that night. Sofia was too scared to ask after that."

Bay hiccupped again.

"Jesus Bay" Ty sounded so defeated and Bay wanted to slap herself.

"I'm so sorry. Will you ever forgive me?"

"I don't know."

Bay felt the tears running down her face. She sobbed into the phone.

"Ty, Sofia wants to come and see you next weekend. What do I tell her?"

All she heard was a click on the other end. Ty had hung-up the phone. Bay hugged her pillow and sobbed into it.

_**Here goes another chapter. Most of you wanted the continuation of the family story, so here we go. Let's see how it all pans out. Thank you for the reviews as always, they make my day.**_


	27. Bay is sorry

Ty rested his head against the pillow and gripped the bedcovers in fury. He could not believe what he'd just heard. What in God's name did Bay think she was doing? He was so angry at her. Now of all times when he was trying to recover from one of the most gruesome experiences anyone could have had.

He still had not been able to talk about what had happened in Kandahar, not even with the Army Psychiatrist who came to see him every morning. He thought the best thing was to forget, to bury it so deep in his memory that it would never resurface again. But then it did, during the night when he was asleep he would see the images of the gun and the blood, all that blood…!

He grasped his head where the bullet had grazed him and where they had stitched him up. He closed his eyes forcefully and tried to get the images out of his head. Unfortunately this brought him back to the conversation he had with Bay and his anger returned.

Why did she do these things? Why awaken things that had been laid to rest? He damned the day in his truck when he had told her about his father. He should just have kept quiet like he had always done. He took a few deep breaths. Since he couldn't stop thinking about it he might as well relive the conversation in his head.

She had spoken to his half-sister, what was her name again, Sofia? And she was 20? That meant that his father must have been fooling around long before he left his mother. In fact it meant that he must have had two different families as he had left around the time he was two years old. What a bastard! And there were two more of them Bay had said, he couldn't remember their names now.

The thing that bothered him the most was when Bay had said that his father had actually wanted him to come and live with them when he was 11. Could that be true? That was when his mother had died of cancer and he his great-aunt had gotten custody after he had spent four months in a foster home. His father was dead now according to Bay, so he wouldn't get the answers he wanted anyway. Sofia wanted to meet him. He didn't know what to do. He decided to sleep on it and decide in the morning.

In the mean time Bay had stopped sobbing into the pillow and was now looking at the ceiling of her room. She had ruined everything. She had never, ever heard Ty so angry since she had known him. She decided to call Regina. She picked up her phone and called her.

"Regina, it's Bay."

"What's up Bay. Do you have a cold?"

"No, I've been crying."

"Ty?"

"Yes. Oh Regina, I did a horrible thing."

"What happened?"

"Can you come over? I can't drive in this state and I need to talk to you."

"Sure, I'll come in one hour."

One hour later Regina was knocking on Bay's bedroom door. Bay beckoned her in and Regina took in Bay's puffy face and teary eyes. She sat on the bed and took Bay's hand.

"What happened Bay?"

Bay started crying again and related the whole story to Regina. When she had finished Regina looked at her with her mouth open.

"Bay, how could you do such a thing?"

"I don't know, I wanted to help."

"Help in what way? Ty never gave any indication that he wanted to meet his family and you know he's going through a tough time. This won't help."

Bay was still crying.

"I don't know and I feel so bad. You should have heard how angry he was."

"I can guess. Oh Bay!"

"What do I do?"

"Well what's done is done. Now you have to wait for him to call."

"What if he doesn't? What if he's so angry that he never wants to talk to me again?"

"We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it."

"Sofia wants to go and see him on Saturday and I was supposed to go as well, what do I do?"

"Bay, he has to tell you what he wants. Neither you nor Sofia can make that decision for him. If he decides that he wants you and Sofia to visit I'll drive down with you."

"I can't bear it if he doesn't forgive me."

"Yes Bay, I believe you."

"Now that we managed to slowly become friends again."

"Friends? Is that what you want? Because there seems to be more going on here."

"I don't know what I want. I am in love with him, but right now I can't manage a relationship."

"Being in love is different than being friends Bay. It's either the one or the other. Being in love is probably what is making you take these irrational decisions."

"I don't want to be his girlfriend at the moment. But I never felt more like I am."

"Then that's probably what you want to be Bay, deep down you see him as a boyfriend."

"Yes, I think I do."

"Then you have to clarify that with him. For his sake and for yours. It's not fair on either of you."

"If he ever talks to me again."

"He will Bay, I'm sure. Let him think about it. He probably feels like he's been run over by a train right now. I'm sure he'll see that you meant well."

"Thank you for coming Regina, I always feel like you understand him best of all."

"I've known him for a long time Bay and the family has always been a sensitive issue for him. You should've talked to me first."

"I know and I'm so sorry."

Regina hugged Bay and left to see Daphne. That evening Bay excused herself from diner with her parents under the pretext of having to study. She really didn't feel like sharing her silly actions with them and Daphne as well.

Tuesday and Wednesday went by and Bay had still not heard from Ty. She was getting frantic. He didn't want to see her again, she knew it. She had crossed the line this time.

She had sent him two texts against Regina's advice and he hadn't replied. Sofia had called her once and Bay told her the story. Sofia agreed to wait a couple of days. Bay managed to get through the days more or less in one piece, but at night she let her tears flow. Her parents knew something was off however they decided not to interfere for the time being.

On Thursday morning Bay woke up to the sound of her alarm. She sat-up in bed and suddenly realized it wasn't her alarm, it was her phone. She reached for it and it was Ty.

"Ty" she nearly dropped the phone in excitement.

"Bay"

"I'm so happy you called, I'm so sorry about everything. I thought you would never talk to me again."

"I needed time to think."

"Of course you did. I told Regina and she was so angry at me as well."

"Bay, you shouldn't have done it."

"I know, believe me I know."

"But you did and now I can't stop thinking about it and there are all these questions going through my mind. I need to see her"

"Yes, yes of course. Anything you want. Sofia is waiting for my call."

"Ok then. I don't know if she'll still be able to come on Saturday."

"I'll check with her. And Ty…"

"Yes"

"Do you still want to see me? Can I come?"

"Oh Bay. I'm so angry at you. At the same time I miss you."

"Will you ever forgive me?"

"If you're able to forgive me."

"I already have some time ago."

"You have?"

"Ty, I-I want to be with you. I want to be your girlfriend again. As much as I was fighting it, it just feels right."

"Bay, it feels like every time I call, you drop a bomb on me."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Bay's voice was shaking.

"It's a yes." Ty was smiling.

"Oh Ty, I'm so happy. I'll call Sofia straight away. I'm so much looking forward to seeing you on Saturday."

"One more thing Bay."

"Yes?"

"Is your boyfriend getting a real kiss on Saturday?"

"I think that can be arranged." Bay said with a smile.

_**Hope you liked it. I wanted to keep them apart for a while longer but I feel they belong together. Let me know what you think. Love your reviews.**_


	28. Bay and Ty make it Netficial

Bay wanted to jump up and down with joy after hanging up the phone. He had forgiven her, he wanted her back. She dialed Sofia's number.

"Sofia, it's Bay?"

"Hi Bay, any news?"

"I just spoke to Ty, he was very angry at me for contacting you, but he wants to meet you."

"I'm not sure myself how I feel about this entire thing Bay, but I want to meet him as well."

"Can you still come on Saturday?"

"Yes. I'll leave here on Friday after 8 so I'll stop on the way to sleep and I'm aiming to arrive on Saturday around 11 in the morning."

Bay gave her all the details and directions and hung up the phone. She called Regina next to brief her. Regina was relieved and agreed to leave with Bay on Friday afternoon.

Bay opened her laptop to check through her e-mails. There was nothing that required her immediate attention, so she decided to open her Facebook page. She went to the Status tab and changed her relationship status from "Single" to "In a relationship with Ty Mendosa". It just felt right. She clicked update.

Bay continued browsing the internet for a couple of minutes, then decided to start reading about the Arts Programme of the University of Kansas. She thought about her scholarship and felt all warm and fuzzy. This was the first time that she had actually allowed herself to think about it in the past weeks and she let her mind wander into the wonders of college.

She saw the message tab of her Facebook blinking at the bottom of the screen. She opened it and saw that it was from Emmett.

Emmett Bledsoe: WTF?

Bay Kennish: We got back together today

Emmett Bledsoe: So much for you not wanting a relationship

Bay Kennish: I decided I do want one

Emmett Bledsoe: After what he did?

Bay Kennish: Yes

Emmett Bledsoe: So you forgive him but not me?

Bay Kennish: It wasn't the same thing

Emmett Bledsoe: Fine! See you around Bay.

He went offline. Bay sighed. She felt sorry for having misled Emmett, she felt sorry about Ty after he had told her he had not been with anyone over there and her telling him she'd nearly been with Emmett. What was done was done, now they had to move past it. The screen blinked again. This time it was Mary Beth.

MB: OMG when?

Bay: Today in the morning

MB: Wow congrats

Bay: Thanks I am happy

MB: I bet he is too and I certainly am. Gotta run. Tell me all about it later

She smiled and closed the laptop. She looked at her watch and saw that she was running seriously late for school. She decided to skip the shower, threw on some clothes in a hurry and ran out.

After school she decided to go to the studio and try out her new supplies. She thought about Ty and was again consumed by her emotions. For two hours she focused on the canvas. She started with the reds as in the past, however this time she did not finish with the black. She looked at it critically one she was finished. It looked as intense as the last one she had done, however this one was all about hope whereas the other one was about hurt. She decided to let it dry for two days and take both of them with her on Friday.

Meanwhile in Missouri Ty was getting out of bed for the second time today. The pain was unbearable, but the Doctor had told him that if he managed to get around there would be no further need to keep him in the hospital for more than another week. With that new piece of information Ty made himself go past the pain. For the first time he ventured out of the room and hobbled around the corridor.

He went around the corner and saw a sign with the words Internet Café. As he was already up and about he decided to check his e-mail. It had been more than four weeks since he had last checked it. It took him awhile to get himself settled in the chair, but he managed in the end. He opened Explorer and his e-mail; he had 81 unread messages. He scanned them quickly from the bottom up and saw that most of them were junk and the others from several of his colleagues in Afghanistan enquiring about his well being.

Not wanting to deal with replying to his colleagues just yet and be faced with the painful memories it brought with it, he prepared to log-off when the first message caught his attention. It was an e-mail from Facebook which he though was junk but when he read the subject line it said "Bay Kennish mentioned you on Facebook". Silly Bay, he thought, as if he would have had access. Nonetheless he was curious and opened the link. He was taken to Bay's page and he smiled when he saw that she had Axe Girl as her profile picture.

Then he gasped "Bay Kennish changed her relationship status from "single" to "in a relationship with Ty Mendosa".

He felt tears stinging in his eyes. They had talked about it this morning of course, but to see it there in black and white posted just 5 minutes after they spoke was overwhelming for him. He quickly clicked on his name and was taken to his page which hadn't been updated in months. He was not a big fan of Facebook and had created a profile because Bay had made him three years ago. He opened it every couple of months but that was about it. He went to his profile and added his non-existing relationship status to Ty Mendosa is in a relationship with Bay Kennish. There, he did it! Now it was netficial!

Not wanting to, but drawn to the search box nonetheless he typed in Sofia Mendosa. The search got over 50 results so he narrowed it down to Tulsa, OK. And bingo, there she was. Her profile was closed to friends only and he narrowed his eyes to look at the picture. She looked pretty. He could make out long black hair and the cheekbones so similar to his own. Definitely Cherokee heritage, no doubt about it. He sat and looked at the picture for another 30 minutes lost in thought.

Meanwhile in Kansas City Bay sat down for diner with her parents. John and Kathryn were happy to see her in a good mood.

"Bay, you look happy." Kathryn said.

"I'm happy" Bay said grinning.

"What's the occasion?" John asked.

"Ty and I are back together."

Kathryn and John exchanged a look.

"You're dating Ty again? I thought you wanted a break." John said.

"I did. But then, I love him, you see. So what's the point?"

"Bay…are you sure he's ok? I mean up there?" John pointed at his head.

"I don't know, he seems fine and he's been seeing the Psychiatrist every day."

"Bay, you're 18 and we're not here to tell you who or who not to date. We just want you to be happy." Kathryn said.

"I'm happy Mum I really am and I'm so excited that he'll be moving into the guesthouse in two weeks."

"Bay, this is new information here for us and I'm not entirely comfortable with having Ty in the guesthouse while you two are dating. He is still welcome to stay with us and he'll get the guest bedroom next to our master." John said.

Bay was horrified.

"But Dad…"

"Don't but Dad me" John interrupted "This is still our house and in here I get to make the decisions and this one is final."

"You don't trust me?" Bay asked looking giving John her puppy dog look.

John just laughed.

"Bay, save that look for who doesn't know you. I will not have the two of you on the loose in the guest house. This house still has principles. If you want to hang-out you do it in the lounge."

Bay sulked but decided not to say anything. She'd done enough harm already with her big mouth lately and she didn't want her Dad to drop the offer altogether.

"I'm driving over with Regina tomorrow."

"That's fine Bay, as long as you're back here Sunday evening." Kathryn said.

On Friday after school Bay raced to the studio to collect the painting. She carefully wrapped it and put it in her car. She drove home and did the same with the painting in the garage.

She then rushed upstairs to pack her bag and had a shower. She used her scrub and shaved her legs. She thought it was all a bit silly since Ty was not going to see them, but it made her feel good about herself. Once she was done she settled to wait for Regina, who came shortly after 5 and they were on their way.

Bay couldn't wait for the next morning to come and when it finally did and she was standing at the barrier with her two paintings under her arms, she smiled.

She was cleared and she rushed upstairs to see Ty. She knocked on the door and opened it and when he saw her, he broke into a smile. Bay stood at the door and smiled at him.

None of them said a word. He opened his arms and she rushed towards him. Carefully she leaned over the bed and kissed him on the mouth. She rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. He took her face in her hands, a gesture that was so Ty and so familiar to her and he kissed her softly. Bay felt his tongue running along her lips and she opened her mouth to let him in. It was a slow, long and drawn out kiss. It was just right! Bay finally broke the kiss and looked at Ty.

"Did that answer your question?"

_**Did you like it? Are you ready for Sofia and Ty moving into the house? Please review.**_


	29. Meeting Sofia

Ty shook his head and pulled her towards him once more. This time he kissed her hard and passionately, running his hands through her hair as he ravaged her mouth with his tongue. It was a long kiss and when he pulled back Bay was flushed and breathless. He looked at her face and smiled.

"Now that answers my question."

"Wow!" Was all Bay managed to say.

She sat on "her" chair and looked at Ty properly for the first time. Something was different. Then she saw it and smiled.

"Your leg. It's not hanging from the ceiling anymore."

"It's not. And the cast is gone."

Ty pulled back the covers and Bay glanced at the complicated looking metal contraption surrounding his leg.

"It looks painful." She said.

"It's incredibly painful, but they might discharge me next weekend, so thinking about that makes me forget the pain."

"Next weekend?" Bay flashed a 1000 watt smile "So I can take you home with me?"

"If all goes well, yes! You might want to start dusting the guest house."

"Oh Ty! The guest house is out of the question now. I told my father we're dating again and he has decided to park you right next to his bedroom."

Ty raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?" he said

"Yes. Apparently our house has principles."

"And those principles don't include me making love to my beautiful girlfriend incessantly?"

Bay felt a tug in a special place. She blushed.

"I guess not. However looking at you, I think we have some time before that happens."

"Now that is an incentive for me if I ever heard one."

"We always have my studio, except last time I had to lay on the floor because there's not even a sofa" Bay said absentmindedly.

She realized as soon as the words were out of her mouth what she had said and she raised her hand and covered her mouth. Ty's face looked thunderous.

"Ty, I'm so sorry. I don't know what made me say that."

Ty shook his head.

"Geez Bay. I really shouldn't be this angry at you. It was all my fault after all. But I am and I can't stop thinking about it. I just see these images of you and him naked in bed and it kills me."

"I know Ty and I'm sorry. I want you to understand what happened better. You always had a special eye for my art, maybe this will help."

She stood up and walked to the door where she had dropped the paintings in her rush to get into Ty's arms. She unwrapped them and carried them towards the bed. She placed one on the ground and turned the other one around so it was facing Ty.

"This was me when I hooked up with Emmett."

Ty looked at the painting and felt tears stinging in his eyes. Bay saw it and smiled. She knew that he would understand instantly. If there was ever someone who had gotten her art down to a T it was Ty.

"I'm sorry Bay."

"I was in a bad place Ty."

"I can see that now."

Bay turned the other painting around and showed it to Ty.

"This is me now. I painted it Thursday after we spoke and got back together."

Ty took in the second painting and smiled. Bay was holding them next to each other and gave him a few minutes to take it all in.

"It's beautiful. They both are, although the first one is terrifying at the same time. I get it now, Bay."

"I knew you would."

"You don't have any feelings for him."

"I don't and what happened was a mistake. And Ty…we didn't…. You're still the only one I ever did it with."

"I'm hoping it will stay that way for a really long time, Bay." He squeezed her hand.

"So do I Ty. Can we close the Emmett chapter now?"

"I think we can."

Bay leaned over to kiss him and felt her phone vibrating. She looked at the message and her eyes clouded over briefly. Ty looked at her and took a deep breath.

"She's here isn't she?" He asked in a low voice.

Bay's heart went out to him when she saw his face.

"Yes. Ty…I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, I know. Let's get this over with then."

"I'll collect her from the barrier and bring her here. Then I'll go and have a stroll with Regina. I'll be back in two hours or so, ok?"

"Ok."

Bay placed her hand on his cheek.

"I love you Ty. If you need me to come just call me."

"It'll be fine Bay. I'll see you later."

Bay gave him a kiss and made her way down to the hospital entrance. She felt her heart pounding in her chest. She approached the barrier and spotted Sofia immediately. Bay smiled at her and Sofia stepped forward.

The first thing Bay noticed was the long straight black hair, which was a carbon copy of Ty's. Then the cheekbones. The similarities were undeniable. Sofia took off her sunglasses and Bay gasped. She actually had green eyes. The end effect was stunning and had Bay stop in her tracks.

"Wow! You're beautiful."

Sofia flashed a smile. Of course it was perfect as well.

"Well, thank you! You must be Bay."

"You look like a model." Bay was still stunned.

"I've been told that. Unfortunately I'm not tall enough, so being a Nurse it is."

"Listen, Sofia, I think I have done nothing but apologizing in the past few days and I realize that I turned all your lives upside down. It wasn't my intention and I hope everything works out."

"It's ok Bay. It was a shock. A big shock. On the other hand it might answer some questions I've had all my life."

They reached Ty's door.

"I'll leave you two alone now."

"Thanks Bay."

Sofia stepped into the room and stood at the door. She looked at Ty and gasped.

"You look like Marco."

Ty looked at her and was overcome by emotion. He'd never had any family before and he was not expecting this reaction he was feeling. She looked like him, it was undeniable and now she was telling him he looked like her brother, his brother. He cleared his throat.

"Please have a seat."

Sofia walked over to his bed and sat on the chair. They looked at each other in an awkward silence. Sofia looked at his leg.

"That looks painful."

"It is. Very!"

"So you're in the Army?"

"Yes, for the past two and a half years"

"Ok"

"And you're a Nurse?"

"Yes. I just started six months ago and I'm working crazy shifts in order to make money to support the three of us."

Ty nodded.

"That must be hard."

"It is."

They sat in awkward silence again. Ty ran his hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents."

Sofia's eyes teared up and Ty was horrified.

"I miss her so much. Not him…! Ty, he was a horrible man."

"Oh?"

"I can't imagine how you must feel after what he did, but my entire life I wished for nothing more than for him to walk out on us."

Ty gulped. This was not how he had expected the conversation to go.

"Can you tell me more?"

"If you really want to. He was an abusive drunk who spent all the money my mother earned on alcohol. He would abuse her and us and he cheated on my Mum all the time. She tried to kill herself three times."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Believe me, this is not my place to say this, but you were better off without him."

She wiped her eyes and Ty closed his.

"Listen Ty, I'm so happy to meet you and I want you to meet Laura and Marco. I didn't tell them yet, because I didn't know how you would feel about it. We don't have any family left besides you."

"I'd like to meet them."

Sofia smiled. They were silent again, but it was less awkward this time.

"Tell me about them" Ty said.

Sofia laughed.

"Ah, where to begin? Marco is 14 and he looks a lot like you. I'm bracing myself for a lot of trouble in the next two years. When Bay called and said she was my brother's girlfriend I nearly choked. He has that heartbreaker quality about him and I'm sure that I'll be chasing away the girls pretty soon. He never studies and I get called to the school a lot. He's a good kid though, very focused on tennis. It's his life. I'm sorry that I don't make enough to put him in proper classes, but he plays at school and when he's home he's constantly batting the ball against the wall. It drives me insane! His head is in the right place though, he doesn't hang out with the wrong crowd either and that is what would worry me the most."

Ty smiled.

"Sounds a lot like me I'm afraid."

"I think he would benefit from meeting you. He suffered the most from the death of our parents. Our father would go easy on him with him being a boy and all that. He really misses a male figure in his life."

"I'll be glad to meet him. What about Laura?"

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"Laura kind of lives on another planet. She's blonde, you know? Our mother was of Swedish descent and Laura got the Nordic gene. All she wants to do is read and study. She's very pretty, but she has this most awful way of dressing. Very bohemian! Long skirts and lacy shirts all done up almost to her mouth. She's so smart! I'm hoping that she gets a scholarship somewhere. She makes some money with helping kids with math and science and chemistry."

Ty raised his eyebrow.

"Sounds like an interesting character."

"Yes, she certainly is. I wonder what she will do when she meets you. Probably look down with her glasses pulled down the bridge of her nose, say hello, and walk back to a textbook."

Sofia paused and looked at Ty.

"Do you want to see some photos?"

"I'd love to."

Sofia rummaged in her purse and took out an envelope. She removed four photos from it and passed three of them to Ty. He gasped when he saw the first one. It was Marco holding a tennis racket and grinning foolishly into the camera. He looked a lot like him. His hair was long, kind of what his had been like when he was a teenager.

"He does look a lot like me. I used to have my hair like that before all of this."

"Well good thing you have it short now, as I would've had a heart attack if I'd seen you with the same hair."

Ty smiled and looked at the next photo. This was Laura, just as Sofia had described her. She wasn't smiling and looked up from a book like having her picture taken was a major hardship and an unnecessary interruption. She was pretty, although Ty had the impression that she tried very hard not to be.

The third one was of the three of them standing in front of a small house that looked a lot like the one Ty had been living in in East Riverside. It was definitely not Mission Hills, but Ty could tell they were happy.

Sofia was looking at Ty and holding the fourth picture in her hand.

"Ty…I don't know if…"

"It's him, isn't it?"

"Yes"

"I don't want to see it. It'll only ruin the moment. He's gone anyway."

Sofia nodded and put the photo back into her purse.

"You're welcome to keep them."

"Thanks. Do you want to go and grab something to eat? I would love for you to meet Bay and it's been two hours so she'll be back soon."

"Does this place have room service?" Sofia asked with a wink.

"It doesn't, but I can get out of bed."

He started lifting himself and Sofia reached over to help.

"It's ok, I can manage."

"Yes, but with my help you'll manage better. I'm a Nurse in case you've forgotten."

Ty gave in to her and in no time she had him on his feet. She handed him the crutches. He reached for his phone and texted Bay that they were heading down to the cafeteria and she could join them.

They settled at the table with their sandwiches and Bay and Regina joined them a short while later. Regina hugged Ty and shook Sofia's hand. Bay introduced them.

"Sofia, this is Regina, one of my Mums."

Sofia looked confused but quickly recovered and smiled. Bay and Regina left to get some food and Sofia turned to Ty.

"Funny, looking at Regina I would never have guessed."

"Guessed what?" Ty was confused.

"That she likes women."

"What?"

"Bay said she was one of her mothers."

Ty laughed loudly just as Bay and Regina were coming back. Bay looked surprised.

"What's so funny?"

"Regina has just been labeled as a lesbian." Ty said.

"Oh?" Regina said surprised.

"The way you introduced her Bay, made Sofia think you have two mothers." Ty replied.

Bay blushed furiously and Regina laughed. Sofia looked very embarrassed.

"Well Bay, before you give Angelo a heart attack, you better start explaining."

They settled around the table and Bay told Sofia about the switch. Sofia took it all in without batting an eye. When Bay had finished Sofia looked at her with a serious expression.

"I guess all of us have had it a bit rough. I'm so happy to meet you all though."

Ty smiled.

"I'm happy to have met you as well."

"So, where do you go from here?"

"I hope to be discharged next week and will stay with Bay for a while." Ty took Bay's hand.

Sofia looked at them.

"I thought you were…it doesn't matter."

"We got back together a few days ago." Bay said with a smile.

"I'm happy to hear that. I'll drive back home now and I'll break the news to the rest of our family. Do you think you'll be able to drive down to Tulsa one of these days?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Bay said.

"It's just that my schedules are really complicated at the moment."

"We'll try and do it soon." Ty said.

He got-up and Sofia walked over to him and hugged him. She looked him in the eyes.

"You know what I've wanted all my life Ty?"

Ty shook his head.

"A big brother."

Ty smiled and hugged her back.

"Well, it seems like you have one now."

It was almost five by the time Sofia left and Regina decided to go back to the hotel to make some calls to clients. Bay went with Ty to his room. He looked exhausted from being on his feet for such a long time. It took him a while, but he finally managed to get settled. Bay was about to sit on her chair, when she saw Ty move to the far side of his bed.

"Bay, don't sit. Lay with me for a bit."

Bay smiled and carefully made her way onto the bed. Ty put his good arm around her and she rested her head against his shoulder. He ran his face through her hair and she turned her face towards him. He kissed her gently on the mouth. Bay carefully ran her hand over his chest.

"Ty, we're going to be ok."

"Yes. We will."

_I hope you like the new chapter. It was very hard to write. There will be only one or two more chapters in this story and it sure has been fun to write. Your reviews helped me along immensely so a big thank you to all of you!_


	30. Living with Bay

Bay heard a frantic knock on her bedroom door.

"Bay, I'm going to be late. Get that curling iron out of your hair; I'm sure it looks great as it is."

Bay huffed and puffed and opened the door. She looked at Ty angrily.

"What would you know about my hair? I can't go to school looking like this."

Ty took her hand. Bay was definitely not a morning person.

"Sweetheart, you look lovely. I'm sure your boyfriend thinks so too."

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" She managed a small smile.

Ty held her close to him and kissed her on her forehead.

"I just do."

"Ok, let's go then. Damn that Army Medical Center and the 7:30 Physio. Don't they realize no one is awake at that time. Make sure to get my coffee. I won't leave the house without it"

Ty just looked at her outraged face and laughed.

A short while later Bay pulled up in front of the building and Ty leaned towards her for a kiss. Bay twisted her face so that he only got to kiss her cheek. He raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't even get to brush my teeth because you hurried me along so much."

"Dude, that is gross." Ty pretended to look disgusted.

"Just get out of my car. First you put me through all that stress in the morning and now you're dawdling."

Ty laughed and got out of the car.

"Love you too, see you at 3."

Bay rolled her eyes.

She slowly drove to school and was there half an hour before the start of her classes. She went to the cafeteria and sat down with her coffee. She smiled. Ty had been with them for the past two weeks and Bay had never been happier.

She had been worried in the beginning on how Ty would get on with her parents, especially her Dad, but surprise, surprise, Ty seemed to know all about baseball there was to know and the two of them spent hours most evenings having a drink and watching the games. Bay almost got jealous as she sat on the couch next to Ty bored out of her wits, but it wasn't really like they could hang-out in their room either.

The biggest surprise for Bay though was that Ty could actually cook. She'd been completely flabbergasted when she got home late from school one day and found Ty cooking diner instead of Kathryn. When she asked him about it he had just smiled at her and dished some food onto her plate. It had been delicious.

So between the baseball and the cooking Ty had won over her parents. They had settled into a steady routine in which Bay would drop Ty off in the mornings for his Physio at the Army Medical Center downtown, where he would spend most of his day and then she would collect him on her way back from school. Bay would then do her homework while he was resting and then they would either hang-out at home or they would drive over to Bay's studio where Bay would paint and Ty would observe her silently.

Today was an art studio day. Bay had been tasked to do a painting to be auctioned off for a Carlton fundraiser and she knew it would take many hours to complete. That meant that they would have to spend more time at the studio than they've had so far.

Bay looked at her watch. She had about an hour before she needed to collect Ty. She decided to drive to Target and buy an airbed. She knew that Ty suffered with sitting on the chair in her studio, although he never complained. This way at least he could stretch and rest his leg while she was working. She decided on the Queen sized model and bought some cushions so that he could support his back. Satisfied with her purchases, she dropped them off at the studio and headed to the Medical Center where Ty was waiting for her outside.

He spotted her and hobbled over on his crutches. He got into the car and leaned over for a kiss. Bay gave him a peck on the mouth.

"How was the therapy?" She asked

"Ok. Painful as always, but taking small steps at a time. How was school?"

"Fine. I have to do this painting for a fundraiser and I'm thinking of doing a mural type thing."

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"It is. Do you mind going straight to the studio? I have an idea in my head and I need to do an outline."

"Sure, let's go!"

Bay parked the car and they took the elevator up to the studio. Ty went to the small kitchen to make them coffee and Bay took the airbed out of the closet and prepared to set-it up. She left it inflating and went to join Ty. He handed her the coffee and leaned against the counter.

"You want to run me through it?"

"Yes! So I'm thinking Axe Girl, because of her connection to Carlton and all. Instead of holding an axe, she'd actually be signing."

"Signing what?" Ty asked.

"Not sure just yet, but it needs to make a statement." Bay furrowed her brow.

"Ok, so you'll need more than one Axe Girl."

"Yes, I see where you coming from."

"How about a couple of Axe Girls and a message about language?"

Bay was thinking. Ty could practically hear the wheels turning in her head.

"I like it…I like it a lot! I have an idea!"

"So…? What will she be signing?"

"Just another language!" Bay said triumphantly.

"That's really good Bay. Three Axe Girls, three words, three signs."

"All in black and white, but for her pink dress."

"Yes, and around it you can maybe write the word for "sign" in different languages? I can Google them for you and write them down."

Bay smiled and wrapped her hands around Ty's neck. She kissed him.

"Ty, we're such a good team. I love the idea."

Ty kissed her and stroked her back.

"We are! Let's get to work then."

They walked back into the studio and Ty stopped in his tracks when he saw the airbed.

"What the hell…?" He said.

"I bought that today, do you like it?"

"Bay…you know that it's another six weeks until I can put some weight onto my leg, right? That includes yours, babe."

Bay blushed furiously.

"I know that Ty! It wasn't meant for that. I figured since we'd have to spend more time in here that you could stretch your leg and not sit on the chair all the time."

Ty smiled and pushed the bed against the wall. He stretched out on it and Bay handed him the cushions.

"This is a brilliant idea Bay. Thank you!"

Bay sat down next to him.

"It sure is comfortable." She said.

"And you bought such a large bed because…?"

Bay kissed him and whispered in his ear.

"Because six weeks will pass soon enough."

Ty smiled and pulled her down next to him. He kissed her passionately and ran his hand along her back resting it on her bottom. He squeezed it gently.

"How about starting that painting in a little while?"

_**A short chapter without a lot of content. Just plain Bay/Ty fluff. I kind of needed this after writing so much drama and angst lately. The story will probably finish in the next chapter, but that doesn't mean it's the end for Bay and Ty. I have plans that I will share with you as soon as I get the outlines done. Thanks for your reviews!**_


	31. A big decision

Ty sat on the bed of his room at the Kansas Army Barracks. He fingered the ring he had bought for Bay in one hand and the letter in the other. His hands were sweaty and he wiped them on his trousers. He didn't remember ever being so nervous in all his life. What if she said no? His life would be over. He looked at the letter again and all he saw was that sentence

_**You have been assigned to serve at the US Army Base in Heidelberg, Germany for an initial period of 24 months. Your deployment will commence within 5 working days.**_

Ty has spoken to his Sergeant as soon as he had gotten the letter to discuss his options. There was only one. His assignment could be extended to 36 months if he was married and they would provide housing and travel for his wife. Ty had not thought twice and headed out to buy a ring with his savings.

Now he sat on his bed and waited for Bay to come. Was this fair on her? She was barely 6 months into her first year at the University of Kansas. He was asking her to drop everything she knew and join him on another Continent far from her family and friends. And what about her family? They were going to kill him, he was sure.

He thought about the past year. It had been perhaps the best year of his life. How sad, considering that he had spent most of it injured. Living with Bay for three months had made up for everything though. He loved her so much. There were so many memories, from the day he had bought her Axe Girl mural at the silent auction at Carlton, to the evening he had taken her to prom, to the long weekend they had spent down in Tulsa with his family.

He thought back to the day the Army had ended their "honeymoon". It had been 8 months ago, but Ty remembered it like it was yesterday.

Him and Bay were laying on the airbed in her studio, recovering from intense session of love-making. He remembered Bay's flushed face and how she had rested her head on his chest slightly out of breath. She had looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"Wow Ty, if that isn't the way to send me off for a week I don't know what is!"

He had smiled and kissed her.

"I'm going to miss you so much."

"And I'm going to miss you. I've gotten so spoiled with having you around every day. Still, there is no way I can't get out of the class trip. I hate camping!"

"I know babe, and I am probably the reason you do."

"In part…"

"I wish I could come and spend one week with you in a sleeping bag."

"Yes Ty, so do I, but I don't think that is the purpose of a senior year class trip. Plus I'm weary of ever going camping with you again."

He had dropped her off at school the next morning and had driven to the Army Base, where he had an appointment with the Sergeant. He had been cleared for duty two weeks ago and it was with some apprehension that he had walked into the office. The Sergeant greeted him and invited him to sit. He handed him an envelope. He had opened it and looked at it in shock. He was being sent back to Camp Eggers in Afghanistan. He had one week until he was being shipped out.

That night he had the worse nightmare of his life.

_They were driving along in their usual convoy formation through the Kandahar Mountains. Just another day in Afghanistan, except that it wasn't._

_Suddenly three of the eight Humvees exploded into a ball of fire as they drove over some land mines planted by insurgents. His ears felt like they would explode from the noise as he was propelled to the ground by the force of the explosion. He remembered looking to the side and seeing a torn off limb lying next to him. He prepared to crawl back to the scene of the explosion, when he saw the familiar battered jeeps of the Taliban approaching._

_He recoiled and crawled into a cave deep within the rock formation of the mountains of Kandahar. He could feel the gun battle more than hear it, and suddenly the walls shook as his battalion must have fired a powerful weapon. The ceiling above him collapsed, trapping his leg under a big rock. _

_That was how he spent the next week, trapped within the cave, battling the cold nights of Kabul. In his worse dreams he had never thought he would die like this. Cold, in pain and alone. _

_He remembered opening his eyes for what he thought would be the last time as a sliver of light came in through the closed opening of the cave. He tried to focus and saw the insurgent standing next to him, the cold barrel of a gun hurting his temple. He saw the insurgent's finger pulling back on the trigger and he heard the gunshot. So that was what it was like to be dead. It felt sticky and wet. He opened his eyes again and realized that he was alive, someone had shot the insurgent and all that was left was blood everywhere. He was bleeding from a head wound and his body was covered in wet and sticky blood._

_He passed out._

He woke up screaming. This was not the first nightmare he had had about those events, but it had been the most chilling one. The others had been of fragments, he had never dreamt about the whole incident.

He felt a hand on his arm, shaking him.

"Son, wake-up. It was a nightmare."

He had opened his eyes and had seen John sitting on the edge of the bed. Covered in sweat and shaking, he had started crying.

"You want to tell me about it?" John had asked.

And for the first time he did. He told John the whole story, something that he hadn't even been able to share with his Psychiatrist. John listened in silence and got up when he had told him about his re-deployment to Camp Eggers. He had rested his hand on his shoulder.

"Ty, I don't care what you say this time. I'm getting you out of this. You've done your share of the duty. You're not fit to go back."

He had just nodded and had managed to fall asleep again, this time with no nightmare.

It hadn't been easy for John and he spent the most part of the week on the phone, but finally he managed not only to get him pulled out, but to have him posted in KC. Luckily Bay had been away for the week and John had been able to work without her constant interference.

For the past eight months he had been living at the base and he could face the scorn of his colleagues and the whispering behind his back, just for having the chance to see Bay almost every day.

He was jolted back to the present day by the phone ringing in his room.

"Your visitor is here. Ms. Bay Kennish."

he took a deep breath. He hadn't seen Bay in almost two weeks as she had been busy preparing for exams. This time he was telling her straight away. He was going to avoid the past situations of delaying the news.

Not even five minutes later there was a knock on his door. He opened it and in rushed Bay.

He hardly had time to lock the door and she was already hugging him to her and pulling at his shirt.

"Bay…wait!" He tried to push her back "I need to tell you…"

He was silenced by her forceful kiss.

"Later! Tell me later." She was pulling off her t-shirt and unbuttoning her pants which she dropped to the floor "Right now I want you. No talking!"

She moved her hands to his belt and quickly undid it and opened his pants.

"Why are you still wearing your shirt?"

He blinked three times, but took off his shirt. Bay had now managed to get completely naked was pushing him onto the bed. She knelt between his legs and pulled off his boxers.

Straddling him she kissed him hard and lowered herself onto him. He grabbed her hips and she moved up and down fast. He saw her throw her head back and moan loudly as she had a powerful orgasm. He followed suit. Bay ran her hands up and down his chest.

"Ty, that was just what I needed."

"Yes, I can see that." He chuckled then turned serious.

"What did you want to tell me?"

He took a deep breath and couldn't think about a stranger situation for breaking the news. The whole day he had thought about the best way to tell her and none of the scenarios included her naked and straddling him. It was now or never. He opened the drawer of his desk and took out the letter. He handed it to Bay.

He saw the look of panic in her eyes even before she took it from him. It was the kind of déjà-vu moment they had already shared once.

She opened it and read it. He could see the tears forming in her eyes. By the time she looked at him they were flowing down her cheeks. His heart went out to her.

"Germany?" She whispered "For two years? Oh no, Ty, oh no!"

She let herself fall onto his chest and he hugged her tightly to him. He could feel her shoulders heaving.

"Shhhh sweetheart. It's ok. Please don't cry. I have an idea."

She lifted herself and sat on top of him again. She was looking at him full of hope. He looked at her and again he could have slapped himself for getting her in this position, the actual physical position, that was. This was not how he had pictured his proposal to be like. He rummaged inside his desk drawer again and took out the blue velvet box.

Bay saw it and looked shocked, then smiled at him.

"Bay, will you marry me?"

Bay started laughing and he was shocked. This was not how he had expected her reply to be. He looked at her unnerved.

"Bay? A simple yes or no will do!" He looked hurt.

Bay lowered herself and hugged him again.

"Of course it's a yes! I was just thinking of what to tell people when they ask me how you proposed."

He laughed, slipped the ring on her finger and hugged her to him once again.

"Oh Bay, I'm so happy. I was going to tell you when you walked in, but you didn't let me."

Bay looked at him sheepishly.

"I guess I didn't."

"So how about we rewind and I take my lovely fiancée out for diner and propose properly so that you have a story to tell people?'

"That's an excellent idea" Bay said.

"Ok then, let's get dressed. Where do you want to go? I'll take you to the most exclusive restaurant in KC to celebrate if you want to." He held out a hand for her.

"To the taco place in East Riverside." Bay said with a smile and took his hand.

**THE END**

**I feel like crying! This was such a wonderful story to write and I hope I did them justice. Your reviews meant the world to me and kept me going for over 30 chapters. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect more than 150 reviews for this story. Thank you all so much!**

**On a separate note there is a very nice Bay/Ty fanfic out there called "What you don't know" by ginmc. It is labeled as a Bemmett story, but it is a B/T and I like it a lot so maybe you want to read it if you haven't already seen it.**

**While The Return of a Soldier has come to an end (he has now returned twice after all) the story will continue as a separate mini-story and ultimately tie o Life of Bay, which is also in need of being updated. Due to the twists that were not planned I will need to edit large chunks of Life of Bay so it fits with this one.**

**I will start working on the mini-story tomorrow if all goes to plan and I will post the title as a new chapter in Return of a Soldier, so that you'll be able to find it.**


	32. Chapter 32

**I have posted the first chapter of the new mini-fiction that will serve as a bridge between this story and Life of Bay. It is called "Germany, here we come!"**

**I hope that you will get a chance to read it and provide me with your feedback.**


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